Skip to main content

Full text of "Memoir of Timothy Gilbert"

See other formats


n^ 


5 LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS.? 


^% 


fesiF' 


# 

!  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA.! 


'■■&  H 

HI 
I  m 


■1  8B$ 


\  AT? 

I  3  3 


/r" 


TREMCNT   TEMPLE. 


Published  bvLEE  &  SHEPARD,  Huston 


MEMOIR 


TIMOTHY  GILBERT. 


BY 


JUSTIN    D.   FULTON. 


"THE    GRANDEST    ABOLITIONIST    IN    BOSTON." 

A  Slave-hunter's  Tribute. 


BOSTON : 
LEE    AND    SHEPARD. 

1S66. 


i  THE  LIBRARY 
OF  CONORBM 

WASHINGTON 


5- 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 

JUSTIN    D.   FULTON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


^  3  2  r~J 


TERBOTTPED    AT    TIIK 

8TEEEOTTPE     FOUNDRY, 

No.  4  Spring  Lane. 


by  John  Wilson  and  Son. 


TO     THE 

CHURCH    AND    CONGREGATION 

WORSHIPPING    IN    TREMONT    TEMPLE, 

This  Volume 
is 

RESPECTFULLY,  GRATEFULLY,  AND    AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED, 

BY     THEIR     PASTOR. 


PREFACE. 


The  life  of  Timothy  Gilbert,  for  half  a  cen- 
tury conspicuously  identified  with  anti-slavery  move- 
ments in  the  church  and  in  the  world,  furnishes 
abundant  testimony  that  the  disciples  of  Christ  have 
led  the  way  in  producing  and  carrying  forward  that 
great  moral  revolution  which  has  disinthralled  a  con- 
tinent. Redeemed  bondmen  will  find  in  this  life  facts 
and  incidents  of  permanent  value,  because  it  is  to  the 
courage  and  fidelity  of  such  men,  who  leaped  straight 
into  the  heart  of  the  conflict,  whose  steel  rang  true 
upon  the  flint  of  the  rebellion,  and  brought  out  the 
fire  which  melted  their  chains,  that  they  are  indebted 
for  all  that  distinguishes  the  present  from  the  past, 
and  makes  America,  for  the  first  time,  "  the  home 
of  the  brave,  and  the  land  of  the  free,"  instead  of 
the  land  of  the  free,  and  the  home  of  the  slave. 

The  relation  sustained  by  the  subject  of  this  Me- 
moir to  the  revivals  that  have  characterized  the  pres- 
ent century,  which,  culminating  in  Boston,  can  be 
best    studied    from    his    stand-point,   will    invite    the 

(5) 


6  PREFACE. 

Christian  and  the  student  to  drink  from  this  fresh 
fountain  of  inspiration  and  hope. 

The  work  performed  by  Deacon  Gilbert  in  build- 
ing Tremont  Temple,  and  in  making  it  an  attractive 
sanctuary  where  the  masses  may,  from  week  to  week, 
listen  to  the  gospel  of  Christ,  should  give  the  story  of 
such  a  life  a  welcome  wherever  an  interest  is  felt  in 
the  establishment  of  a  "  Stranger's  Sabbath  Home," 
in  the  centre  of  a  great  city.  That  life  will  be  found 
full  of  incentive  to  self-sacrifice  and  noble  deeds. 
The  subject  of  it  lived  and  wrought  for  God,  and  his 
works  do  praise  him. 

The  author  would  express  his  gratitude  to  G.  W. 
Chipman,  J.  W.  Converse,  and  Cyrus  Carpenter,  Esqs., 
who,  from  the  first,  have  manifested  the  heartiest 
sympathy  for  the  work  to  which  Deacon  Gilbert  con- 
secrated his  life.  Mr.  Chipman  supplied  the  excellent 
likeness  of  his  life-long  friend,  Mr.  Converse  furnished 
the  faithful  picture  of  Tremont  Temple,  —  Deacon 
Gilbert's  fittest  monument,  —  and  Mr.  Carpenter  has, 
from  the  first,  rendered  valuable  aid  in  securing  the 
publication  of  this  Memoir. 

The  author  has  been  to  the  book  what  the  scaf- 
folding is  to  the  building.  He  cheerfully  steps  aside, 
now  that  his  work  is  done,  that  the  reader  may  see 
the  man. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER    I. 


Page 


Introduction. 


CHAPTER    II. 
His  Birth,  Childhood,  and  Youth.  —  Conversion 15 

CHAPTER    III. 
His  Manner  of  Life 20 


CHAPTER    IV. 

His  Marriage.  —  The  Tremont  Temple  Enterprise. -— Nathaniel 
Colver 49 


CHAPTER    V. 

Rev.  Jacob  Knapp.  —  The  Baptist  Cause  in  Boston  in  1840.  —  The 
Character  of  the  Evangelist,  and  his  Work  in  New  Bedford, 
Providence,  and  Boston.  —  Letter  from  Mr.  Knapp,  showing  the 
Part  borne  in  the  Work  by  Mr.  Gilbert 67 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Anti-Slavery  Agitation  in  the  Church.  —  The  Proceedings  of  the 
Mission  Board  at  Baltimore.  —  Exciting  Discussion.  —  Letter 
of  Baron  Stow.  —  Organization  of  the  Provisional  Committee.  — 

Mr.  Gilbert  Treasurer 87 

(7) 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Mr.  Gilbert's  Letter-Book.  —  Reflections  concerning  the  Duty  of 
Christian  Men  and  Churches  to  the  Slave  absorb  his  Thoughts, 
and  flame  out  from  his  Correspondence.  —  The  Provisional 
Committee  at  Work.  —  Correspondence  with  Missionaries  and 
others.  —  Drs.  Fuller  and  Wayland  on  Slavery.  —  Dr.  Hague's 
Review 112 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Dedication  of  Tremont  Temple.  —  The  Death  of  Mrs.  Gilbert. — 
Second  Marriage  of  Mr.  Gilbert.  —  Trip  to  Europe,  —  Conse- 
cration of  his  Property  to  the  Cause  of  Christ.  —  Resignation 
of  the  Presidency  of  the  Boylston  Bank 157 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Causes  which  led  to  the  Resignation  of  Rev.  N.  Colver.  —  Mr. 
Gilbert's  Character  in  a  new  Light.  —  Defects  of  Extempora- 
neous Preaching.  —  His  Views  concerning  Salary,  and  Study, 
and  Visiting 176 

CHAPTER    X. 

Resignation  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver.  —Tremont  Temple  burnt. 

—  A  Description  of  the  New  Temple.  —  Deacon  Gilbert's  View 

of  the  Enterprise 186 

CHAPTER    XI. 

The  Tremont  Temple  Enterprise  imperilled.  —  The  Property 
offered  for  Sale.  —  The  Organization  of  the  Evangelical  Bap- 
tist Benevolent  and  Missionary  Society.  *—  The  Sky  clearing. 

—  Mr.  Gilbert's  Hopes  brightening. — Letter  of  Rev.  D.  C. 
Eddy,  D.  D " 207 

CHAPTER   XII. 
Personal  Recollections 219 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
Mr.  Gilbert's  Death.  —  Notices  of  the  Deceased.  —  His  Funeral.    245 


MEMOIR 

OF 

TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 


CHAPTER    I, 

INTRODUCTION. 


The  story  is  told  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  that  once 
upon  a  time,  while  sitting  for  his  picture,  the  artist 
tried  to  conceal  a  scar  upon  his  brow.  The  hero, 
noticing  it,  chided  the  painter,  saying,  "Paint  me  as 
I  am"  The  artist  complied  with  the  request,  but  so 
managed  it  that  he  placed  Cromwell  in  a  meditative 
position,  sitting  with  his  head  resting  upon  his  hand, 
and  his  forefinger  concealing  the  scar.  We  shall  let 
Timothy  Gilbert  sit  upright.  Not  believing  in  perfect 
characters,  nor  in  model  lives,  but  rather  in  one  per- 
fect character,  and  in  one  model  life,  which  closed  its 
testimony  on  earth  with  the  "It  is  finished"  of  Cal- 
vary, we  shall  try  and  present  the  subject  of  this 
Memoir  as  he  lived  at  home,  worked  in  the  shop, 
toiled  in  the  church,  and  battled  for  his  faith  in  man 
and  his  faith  in  God  in  the  midst  of  an  opposing 

I  *  (9) 


IO  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

world  and  a  sleeping-  chinch.  His  life  deserves  to  be 
written,  because  it  refutes  the  infidel  utterance  that 
there  is  something  incompatible  with  a  faith  in  Christ 
and  a  devotion  to  the  highest  interests  of  humanity. 
Horace  Mann,  Theodore  Parker,  and  others  like 
them,  never  tired  of  declaring  that  to  help  humanity 
men  must  break  loose  from  creeds.  Here  is  a  man 
that  clung  to  his  faith  in  Christ,  in  the  Bible,  in  the 
rule  of  faith  and  practice  adopted  by  his  denomina- 
tion in  Jerusalem,  where  Peter  preached  and  John  was 
bishop,  and  which  has  characterized  them  through  all 
the  intervening  centuries,  and  now  distinguishes  them 
in  all  lands  and  climes,  and  yet  he  won  from  a  slave- 
hunter  the  title  of  being  the  Grandest  Abolitionist  in 
Bosto?i. 

His  identification  with  the  great  revivals  of  1841, 
and  with  efforts  calculated  to  secure  the  salvation  of 
souls,  links  his  name  to  the  religious  history  of  Boston. 
His  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  apprentices  and  mechanics 
deprived  of  a  place  of  worship,  and  his  watchfulness, 
that  enabled  him  to  seize  the  golden  opportunity, 
when,  because  of  the  wonderful  work  of  grace  going 
on  in  Boston  during  the  winter  of  1841-2,  the  lessees 
of  Tremont  Theatre  lost  some  ten  thousand  dollars, 
compelling  the  holders  of  the  property  to  throw  it  upon 
the  market,  he  purchased  it,  and  by  the  aid  of  others, 
converted  it  into  a  free  place  of  public  worship,  in 
which  all  the  seats  on  the  Sabbath  are  kept  free  to 
every  person,  without  distinction,  entitle  him  to  the 
homage  paid  to  public  virtue  and  private  worth. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  of  July,  1865,  while  the  Union 
Temple  Church  were  celebrating  the  Lord's  Supper, 


INTRODUCTION.  1 1 

Deacon  Timothy  Gilbert,  being  absent  for  the  first 
time,  selected  from  Philippians,  second  chapter,  from 
the  fourteenth  to  the  sixteenth  verses  inclusive,  this 
message,  which  he  asked  his  pastor  to  carry  to  them 
as  a  humble  expression  of  his  desire  concerning 
them :  "  Do  all  without  murmurings  and  disputings, 
that  ye  may  be  blameless  and  simple,  children  of 
God,  unreproachable  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and 
perverse  generation,  among  whom  ye  shine  as  do  the 
heavenly  lights  in  the  world,  holding  forth  the  word 
of  life  for  a  ground  of  glorying  to  me  at  the  day  of 
Christ  that  I  did  not  run  in  vain  or  labor  in  vain." 

The  exhortation,  "  Do  all  without  murmurings  and 
disputings,"  expressed  in  words  the  principle  that  ruled 
his  life.  Little  did"  I  know  of  the  trials  that  bent  his 
frame  and  that  ploughed  deep  furrows  in  his  heart. 
He  was  a  silent  sufferer.  To  the  scenes  through 
which  he  had  passed,  and  the  labors  he  had  performed, 
he  seldom  made  reference.  Now  that  he  has  gone,  and 
that  I  have  turned  over  the  pages  of  his  memoranda, 
I  see  that  his  desire  to  be  simple,  unreproachable  in 
the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation,  and 
to  shine  as  do  the  heavenly  lights  in  the  world,  his 
anxiety  to  hold  forth  the  word  of  life  as  a  ground  of 
glorying,  rather  than  to  talk  of  what  he  had  purposed 
and  achieved,  made  him  the  quiet  and  unpretentious 
man,  who  lived  and  wrought  for  God,  and  passed  on 
to  his  reward. 

A  Christian's  life  is  worthy  of  prayerful  consider- 
ation and  of  profound  study.  It  is  a  volume,  the 
pages  of  whose  imperishable  record  bear  inscriptions 
wrought  by  the   finger  of  God.      It  opens  into  the 


I  J  Ml.MOlK    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

hidden  mysteries  of  the  world's  great  life.     In  it  we 

behold  the  motive  power  that  influenced,  shaped,  and 
controlled  society.  It  opens  into  a  home,  and  reveals 
to  us  God's  model  idea  of  a  father,  of  a  husband  or 
friend.  In  it  we  see  the  thread  of  an  almighty  pur- 
pose  entering  the  woof  of  events,  and  giving  coloring 
and  character  to  the  distinguishing  features  of  an 
epoch.  It  opens  into  a  church,  Christ's  great  work- 
shop :  it  leads  you  into  the  prayer  circle,  to  the  sanc- 
tuary among  the  poor  and  among  the  influential,  and 
becomes  a  finite  cog  fitting  into  the  wheel  of  an 
infinite  plan,  and  touching  the  machinery  of  society, 
which  was  set  in  motion  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the. 
good  of  man.  Flowing  into  political  circles,  it  resem- 
bles  a  clear  mountain  stream,  cleansing  and  purifying 
all  with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  It  never  can  be 
thoroughly  comprehended  or  understood.  It  is  the 
incarnation  of  God's  purpose  among  men.  The  opin- 
ions uttered,  and  the  efforts  made,  help  to  establish 
justice,  and  to  construct  the  healthy  organisms  of  an 
age.  It  resembles  a  productive  mine.  There  is  little 
seen  upon  the  surface ;  but  when  you  reach  the  sphere 
of  his  labor,  you  become  amazed  at  the  extent  of  the 
area  blessed  by  his  love  and  cultured  by  his  care. 

If  we  enter  the  home  of  Timothy  Gilbert,  and  be- 
hold him  presiding  over  his  table,  giving  a  hospitable 
welcome  to  strangers,  making  ministers  and  mission- 
aries, bondmen  and  freemen,  feel  that  his  house  was 
Christ's  house,  and  that  he  was  acting  as  the  steward 
of  his  Master;  into  the  church,  and  behold  him  ever 
ready  to  bear  his  burden,  and  ever  yielding  to  the 
yoke,  but  never  forward,  never  ostentatious;  into  the 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

political  world,  and  see  how  modestly  and  firmly  he 
bore  himself,  —  we  shall  see  that  it  was  never  his  pur- 
pose to  occupy  a  conspicuous  position  in  the  eye  of 
men,  yet  that  it  was  his  grand  aim  to  hold  an  honora- 
ble, though  a  humble  place,  in  the  eye  of  God. 

He  had  no  aspirations  for  office.  When  the  Liberty 
Party  was  weak,  he  accepted  nominations  ;  when  it 
became  strong,  he  rejected  proffers  and  posts  of  honor. 
He  had  no  desire  to  be  considered  a  leader  even  in 
commercial  circles.  He  desired  "  to  do  justly,  to  love 
mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  his  God  ; "  "to  shine 
as  do  the  heavenly  lights  in  the  world." 

That  made  him  what  he  was  as  a  mechanic,  as  an 
employer,  as  a  manufacturer,  as  an  abolitionist,  as  a 
politician,  as  a  deacon.  That  made  him  consecrate 
his  time,  talents,  and  property  to  the  furtherance  of 
the  various  interests  committed  to  his  care.  That 
made  him  the  champion  of  the  oppressed,  the  friend 
of  the  poor,  and  the  benefactor  of  the  young.  Write 
up  such  a  life,  and  you  embody  in  enduring  shape  a 
record  which  becomes  the  distinguishing  feature  of  an 
epoch. 

It  may  truly  be  said  of  him  that  he  comprehended 
the  era  in  which  he  lived.  He  had  a  logical  mind, 
and  could  follow  premises  to  their  legitimate  results. 
Hence  he  was  never  behind,  but  generally  in  advance 
of,  his  age. 

He  foresaw  the  result  of  the  anti-slavery  contest, 
and  predicted  it,  and  acted  up  to  his  convictions. 
When  General  Ulysses  S.-  Grant  permitted  General 
Robert  E.  Lee  to  surrender  the  forces  of  the  Confed- 
eracy in  a  manner  that  relieved  him,  and  the  soldiers 


1  4  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

he  led,  from  the  humiliation  of  a  general,  open,  and 
formal  laying  down  of  the  arms  of  rebellion,  he  fore- 

trouble,  and  at  once  declared,  "Those  men  will  not 
believe  they  are  conquered."    When  the  air  was  full 

ie  paeans  of  victory,  his  eye  detected  the  dangers 
which  followed  in  the  wake  of  northern  instead  of 
southern  conciliation.  Not  fully  believing  in  the 
president  concerning  reconstruction,  and  wholly  disa- 

ing  with  him  in  regard  to  negro  suffrage,  he  pre- 
pared with  great  care  a  statement  of  the  case  as  he 
viewed  it.  and  sent  it  to  the  president,  feeling  that 
in  this  way  alone  could  he  discharge  his  duty.  His 
rule  being,  "  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it 
with  thy  might,"  he  never  postponed  until  to-morrow 
what  should  be  done  to-day,  and  as  a  result,  achieved 
Titanic  tasks,  and  accomplished  important  results. 
Desiring  to  be,  not  a  leader,  but  a  motive  power  and 
a  propelling  force,  he  worked  through  others,  and  de- 
lighted to  hold  up  the  hands  of  those  who,  battled  for 
the  truth,  and  while  glorying  in  results,  shunned 
fame. 


i5 


CHAPTER    II. 

HIS    BIRTH,    CHILDHOOD,   AND   YOUTH  —  CONVERSION. 

Timothy  Gilbert  was  born  in  Enfield,  Mass., 
January  5,  1797.  His  father,  Timothy  Gilbert,  was 
born  in  Hardwick,  Mass.,  March  14,  1772.  Fear 
Shaw,  his  mother,  was  born  at  Middleboro',  Mass., 
July  3,  1768;  and  they  were  married  in  Greenwich, 
now  Enfield,  September  22,  1794. 

The  father  died  at  Enfield,  May  24,  1838,  and  was 
buried  in  the  rear  of  the  meeting-house  ;  and  his  good 
wife  Fear  died  January  14,  1858,  and  was  buried  by 
his  side. 

Timothy  was  the  eldest  son  and  second  child  of  a 
family  of  seven  children,  consisting  of  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.  His  parents,  though  but  little  known 
to  the  world,  were  esteemed  and  respected  by  their 
neighbors.  His  father  was  a  farmer  in  moderate  cir- 
cumstances, and  in  this  employment  Timothy  was 
engaged  until  the  year  181 8,  when  he  came  to  Boston 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  He  early  manifested  a  taste 
for  mechanism.  There  was  music  in  the  whir  of  the 
factory  wheels  driven  by  the  River  "  Swift,"  which  is 
formed  by  the  junction  of  two  turbulent  streams, 
which  in  their  union  are  a  source  of  wealth,  and 
present  an  additional  attraction  to  the  varied  beauties 
of  the  town. 


MEMOIR    OF     TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Eiracter,   when    a   boy.    was    so    sedate,    and 
his  hear;  ave,  that  he  won  the  appellation  of 

..  hile  vet  in  his  teens.  .  He  was  fond  of  books, 
than  many  of  his  age.     In 
temperament  he  resembled  his  mother.     It  has  been 
frequently  remarked  that  man  is  what  woman  makes 
him,   her  influence,  primarily  upon  his  infancy,  and 
wards  upon  his  maturity,  being  so  far  superior  to 
i  -ther.  that  he  takes  his  moral  shape  directly  or 
indirectly  from  her.     When  women  are  gentle,  pure, 
and  intelligent,  their  children  grow  up  honest,  brave, 
and  thoughtful ;  when  they  are  passionate,  unchaste, 
and  frivolous,  the  men  whom  they  rear  are  lawless, 
animal,  and  superficial.     The  course,  too,  of  the  gen- 
erations, in  either  case,  is  to   grow  noble  and  more 
courageous,  or  to  fall  away  towards  barbarism.     In  a 
word,  one  tends  to  spiritual  refinement,  the  other  to 
sensual  debasement.     This  being  true,  the  chaste,  vir- 
tuous, pure,  brave,  and  thoughtful  character  of  the  son 
Ly   attributable  to   her,  whose   influence    over 
him  was  ever  recognized  as  a  blessed  boon  from  God. 
His  Liters  to  his  mother  breathe  a  spirit  of  filial  devo- 
that  speaks  volumes  in  praise  of  the  heart  of  her 
He  watched  her  health,  ministered  to  her  hap- 
piness, and  never  was  more  happy  than  when  he  had 
her  with  him  in  his  own  house.     The  portraits  of  his 
parents  hung  on  his  parlor  walls.     He  honored  them, 
obtained  the  promised  blessing. 
turally  impulsive,  and  very  correct  in  all  he  did, 
it  troubled  him  when  those  connected  with  him  were 
careless  in  their  habits,  or  irregular  in  their  lives. 
When  his  mind  became  interested  in  the  subject  of 


CHILDHOOD    AND   YOUTH CONVERSION.  I  7 

religion,  he  was  a  long  time  struggling  with  the  cor- 
ruptions of  his  own  heart.  His  will  was  perverse  and 
terribly  unyielding.  At  last  grace  triumphed,  and  he 
became  a  little  child  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  No  sooner 
did  he  obtain  the  liberty  of  the  gospel  than  he  had 
great  peace  and  great  love  for  the  souls  of  others. 

When  converted  he  was  surrounded  by  Congrega- 
tionalists.  The  study  of  the  New  Testament  made  a 
Baptist  of  him.  That  was  enough.  Opposition  was 
wasted  on  him.  A  Thus  saith  the  Lord  was  better 
than  a  Thus  saith  a  creed  or  a  minister.  There  was 
no  Baptist  church  nearer  than  three  and  a  half  miles, 
in  Belchertown.  That  church  became  his  home.  On 
January  5,  181 7,  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  David 
Pease,  in  the  river  covered  with  drift  ice,  while  around 
him  gathered  the  church,  singing,  —  ' 

"Christians,  if  your  hearts  are  warm, 
Ice  and  snow  will  do  no  harm ;  " 

after  which  he  walked  more  than  half  a  mile  with- 
out a  change  of  garments,  and  without  inconvenience. 
On  the  last  day  of  December,  1818,  he  came  to 
Boston,  and  went  to  work,  as  an  apprentice  cabinet- 
maker, with  Levi  Ruggles,  and  after  various  changes, 
learned  the  piano-forte  business  of  Mr.  John  Osborn, 
and  in  time  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  E.  R. 
Currier.  At  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership,  he 
became  the  head  of  the  concern,  and  maintained  the 
position,  through  many  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death. 

Boston,  when  he  entered  it  a  stranger,  had  but 
forty  thousand  inhabitants.     There  were  three  Baptist 


iS  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

churches.  Rev.  James  M.  Winchell  was  pastor  of 
the  First.  Rev.  Thomas  Baldwin  of  the  Second,  and 
Rev.  Daniel  Sharp  of  the  Third. 

Uniting  with  the  last-named  church,  he  carried  into 
the  Sabbath  school  and  prayer  meeting  the  idiosyn- 
crasies  that  characterized  him  through  life. 

The  influence  of  Dr.  Sharp  upon  him  was  of  a 
marked  character.  It  was  a  primitive  period  in 
American  history.  The  missionary  enterprise  had 
taken  possession  of  the  minds  of  Christians.  The 
storv  of  Carev's  success,  of  Judson's  conversion,  the 
need  of  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the  American 
church,  the  formation  of  the  Massachusetts  Baptist 
Missionary  Society,  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Educa- 
tion Society,  the  establishment  of  colleges  and  churches, 
were  facts  which  filled  the  mind  and  engaged  the 
thought  of  that  polished  and  courtly  preacher,  who 
delighted  in  the  pulpit  to  dwell  upon  the  Christian 
graces,  and  whose  outward  life  was  characterized  by 
unsullied  purity  and  a  sublime  devotion  to  every  good 
work.  Nathaniel  Ripley  Cobb,  the  Christian  mer- 
chant, was  a  member  of  the  church  when  he  joined  it. 
Cobb  was  a  year  his  senior  in  birth  and  in  baptism, 
lie  was  born  near  Portland,  Me.,  November  3,  1798, 
was  baptized  in  May,  1818,  and  died  May  22,  1834, 
when  but  thirty-six  years  of  age,  after  having  won  a 
noble  position  in  Boston. 

On  September  30,  1843,  O.  S.  Fowler,  the  celebrated 
phrenologist,  gave  this  description  of  Mr.  Gilbert's  char- 
acter :  ;'  lie  is  noted  for  goodness  and  desire  for  bene- 
fiting mankind.  He  would  do  it  by  making  them  good 
first,  and  by  that   means   making  them   happy.     The 


CHILDHOOD    AND    YOUTH CONVERSION.  1 9 

object  of  his  life  is  to  make  men  happy,  and  not  one 
man  in  a  thousand  has  a  larger  organ  of  benevolence. 
He  is  a  stanch,  stable  man,  that  is  a  pillar  in  society 
—  one  to  be  depended  upon.  He  pursues  his  uniform 
course  with  dignity,  respects  himself,  and  is  respected. 
He  has  more  thoughts  and  ideas  than  words  to  express 
them.  Is  fond  of  the  beautiful.  Is  good  at  planning 
and  setting  others  to  work.  Would  be  a  deacon  in  a 
church  and  a  director  in  a  bank,  and  has  great  tact 
in  contriving  ways  and  means  for  accomplishing  his 
objects.  Is  plain,  but  hospitable,  and  would  be  likely 
to  have  many  visitors,  and  an  extensive  circle  of 
friends.  Gives  advice,  and  good  advice  ;  is  pleased 
with  the  approbation  of  friends  ;  is  strictly  honest ; 
dislikes  to  be  in  debt.  I  think  he  could  hardly  help 
being  an  abolitionist  and  a  leader  in  reforms,  Sabbath 
schools,  and  wherever  he  can  do  the  most  good.  Will 
believe  nothing  without  proof;  must  see  the  reason, 
the  law,  involved.  Would  have  made  a  good  clergy- 
man. He  stands  by  the  right.  Would  speak  the 
truth  at  the  cannon's  mouth.  Conscientiousness  is 
one  of  his  principal  organs."  Those  who  knew  him 
can  recognize  the  correctness  of  the  portraiture.  He 
was  as  fearless  and  honest  as  he  was  brave. 


20 


CHAPTER    III. 

HIS    MANNER   OF   LIFE. 

Happy  New  Year  greeted  the  ear  of  Timothy  Gil- 
bert, on  January  i,  1819,  the  morning  after  his  arrival 
in  Boston. 

He  was  a  stranger.  He  loved  his  home,  he  idolized 
his  mother,  and  he  felt  that  sensation  of  loneliness 
which  comes  to  the  heart  when  the  anchor  is  lifted 
and  the  sails  are  spread,  and  the  boat  in  which  our 
hopes  are  embarked  pushes  out  upon  the  unexplored 
sea  of  the  future,  and  the  light  of  home  no  longer 
greets  the  view.  He  was  poor,  but  brave.  No  young 
man  ever  began  life  under  more  straitened  circum- 
stances ;  none  ever  grasped  the  difficulties  of  the  situa- 
tion with  a  braver  purpose.  We  find  him  early  seek- 
ing employment.  How  he  attempted  and  failed,  tried 
again  and  succeeded,  is  remembered  by  his  friends, 
lie  entered  the  shop  of  Levi  Ruggles  to  learn  the 
cabinet  business.  He  has  good  strong  hands,  an  eye 
to  the  main  chance  and  single  to  the  glory  of  God,  an 
honest  heart,  and  good  health.  In  learning  his  trade 
lie  is  animated  by  a  purpose  that  takes  in  a  wide  and 
an  ambitious  range.  He*  is  an  apprentice.  He  ex- 
pects to  be  an  employer  ;  hence  he  studies  principles 
as  well  as  the  cunning  of  handcraft.  He  dives  into 
the  secrets  of  success,  into  the  questions  of  profit  and 


HIS    MANNER    OF    LIFE.  21 

loss.  Having  mastered  the  cabinet  business,  he  turns 
to  the  piano  trade,  and  strikes  the  thread  of  his  destiny, 
which,  followed,  leads  to  fortune  and  fame.  His  heart 
is  full  of  musical  emotions  and  sweet  harmonies,  and 
his  ear  is  attuned  to  melody.  Here,  in  like  manner,  he 
studies  all  parts  of  the  business,  and  is  never  content 
while  anything  remains  to  be  learned.  He  is  not  a 
busybody.  He  is  not  meddlesome.  He  talks  little, 
and  thinks  a  great  deal.  He  tries  to  increase  in 
knowledge  more  and  more,  and  so  studies  to  be  quiet, 
and  to  do  his  own  business,  and  to  work  with  his  own 
hands,  as  the  apostle  commands,  that  he  may  walk 
honestly  toward  them  who  are  without,  and  that  he 
may  lack  nothing.  The  Bible  is  the  rule  of  his  faith 
and  practice.  In  the  church  he  has  a  place,  and  he  is 
ever  in  it.  In  the  Sabbath  school  he  feels  that  he  has 
duties  to  discharge,  and  he  meets  his  trusts  in  a  manly 
way.  His  seat  in  the  sanctuary  is  always  filled.  His 
pastor  comes  to  know  him,  and  to  lean  upon  him. 
Happy  pastor,  surrounded  by  men  like  Cobb,  Gilbert, 
Farwell,  and  a  host  of  others !  —  men  of  brain,  of 
heart,  and  piety. 

Naturally  enough  and  without  pushing,  E.  R.  Cur- 
rier wants  a  partner.  He  does  not  need  money  so 
much  as  he  needs  a  man.  He  has  heard  of  that  quiet, 
thrifty  mechanic.  He  seeks  him  out,  or  is  sought  out, 
and  a  partnership  is  formed,  and  young  Gilbert,  who 
on  the  ist  of  January,  1819,  came  to  Boston  a  stranger, 
is  now  a  partner  in  business,  and  has  use  for  all  he  has 
acquired,  and  a  sphere  in  which  he  may  use  his  in- 
ventive faculty  to  his  satisfaction.  In  less  than  five 
years   he    marries   a  wife,    secures  a  home,  erects    a 


HEMOIB    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

Family  altar,  and  becomes  tlie  centre  of  an  influence, 
which,  like  the  ripple  formed  by  the  falling  pebble, 
shall  widen   in   its  circumference    until    it   writes    its 

►rd  on  distant  shores. 
Settled   in   business,   he  was  brought   into   contact 
with  new  circles  of  society  and  fresh  currents  of  in- 
fluence.    He  took   positions.     He  brought  all   ques- 

s  to  the  light  of  revealed  truth,  and  judged  them 
by  the  standards  furnished  by  God  himself.  This 
made  him  set  in  opinion.  It  was  a  characteristic  of 
his,  when,  after  long  reflection  and  prayer,  he  reached 
a  conclusion  he  believed  it  to  be  the  mind  of  God.  It 
was  this  conviction  that  made  him  determined,  and  at 
times  overbearing.  Instances  abound  when  it  was 
clear  he  was  mistaken  in  judgment.  He  was  fallible, 
like  others,  and  often,  perhaps,  mistook  inclination  for 
duty,  and  desire  for  conviction.  He  was  not  tolerant, 
nor  patient,  nor  pliable.  It  is  related  by  an  individual 
who  was  then  a  youth,  and  is  now  a  man  of  promi- 
nence, that  he  was  sought  out  by  Mr.  Gilbert,  and  in- 
vited to  obtain  an  education  at  his  expense.  He  began 
his  course,  and  was  accomplishing  the  work,  when,  in 
consequence  of  his  not  being  up  to  his  benefactor  in 
anti-slavery  convictions,  he  was  told  of  the  disappoint- 
ment his  conduct  had  produced,  and  informed  that,  in 
accordance  with  a  resolution  to  give  money  to  such 
purposes  and  in  such  channels  that  it  should  tell  upon 
the  interests  of  the  bondmen,  he  should  be  compelled 
v,  forego  in  part  the  amount  allowed  him.    The  proud- 

ited  youth  resented  the  indignity,  gave  up  his 
course  and  the  ministry.  In  this  Mr.  Gilbert  made  a 
mistake.     lie  saw  it  afterwards,  and  regretted  it.    Yet 


HIS    MANNER    OF   LIFE.  23 

this  characteristic  was  a  blessing  instead  of  a  bane. 
He  loved  the  truth,  and  delighted  to  follow  its  guid- 
ance. He  erred  in  judgment  at  times,  because  he  was 
a  man.  Truth  pleased  and  charmed  him.  It  begot 
principles  within  his  nature,  and  those  principles  ruled 
him.  Like  trees  planted  in  the  earth,  they  absorbed 
the  nutriment  which  came  in  their  way.  They  grew. 
Hence,  to  influence  him,  truth  must  range  itself  behind 
these  well-established  principles.  He  knew  that  he 
could  not  do  everything.  He  knew  that  he  could 
accomplish  some  one  thing.  To  this  he  bent  his 
energies. 

This  made  him  take  certain  advanced  positions.  In 
looking  about  him,  he  saw  that  the  churches  were 
asleep  in  regard  to  the  woes  inflicted  upon  the  race 
by  slavery  and  intemperance.  Believing  that  "  Im- 
manuel "  —  God  with  us  —  is  with  us  to  save  us,  he 
grasped  the  truth  that  "  God  is  with  us  to  save  us  by 
being  God  for  us  and  God  in  us."  On  the  one  hand, 
God  for  us  by  taking  the  place  of  the  sinner ;  and  on 
the  other  hand,  God  in  us  by  uniting  himself  to  the 
sinner.  The  power  of  the  gospel  consists  in  this  :  that 
it  not  only  reveals  God's  work  for  us  when  he  took 
our  place  in  the  person  of  his  Son,  bore  our  punish- 
ment upon  the  cross,  so  that  we  might  go  free,  but  also 
God's  work  in  us  when  he  unites  himself  to  us  in  the 
person  of  his  Spirit,  to  renew  and  purify  our  hearts  by 
the  communication  of  his  own  love  and  righteousness. 
God  for  us  !  That  convinces  us  of  our  sin  ;  that  takes 
away  our  fear.  God  in  us !  That  assures  us  that 
the  w^ork  once  begun  will  be  completed  by  the  feeding 
of  our   inward   life   from  his  own  divine  fountains. 


>IR    OF     TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 


-.  and  not  the  force  of  an  unconquerable  will,  made 
him   E  aliant,  and  invincible  in  his  determina- 

1   forward  the  cause  of  Christ  as  the  hope  of 
God  was  in  him,  he  was  in  God. 

This  made  him  thoughtful  and  suggestive.     It  was 
a   pl<  !  r   him  to   live  in  sympathy  with  public 

men.     Hi  stions  were  not  whims  born  in  a  mo- 

ment, and  to  be   swept  aside  by  a  breath.     When  he 
mentioned  a   subject  and  proposed  a  line  of  policy,  it 
the  result  of  diligent  and  wise  thinking.       If  his" 
view  made  little  or  no  impression  when  first  mentioned. 
he  would  bide   his  time  ;  but  the  sun  was  no  more 
sure  to  rise  than  he  was  to  bring  the  idea  up  in  another 
shape  :  and  even  if  it  should  be  scouted  and  ignored. 
believing  in  it  himself,  he  would  consecrate  himself  to 
its  furtherance  and  diffusion.     This  made  him  persist- 
ent and  unyielding  at  times  to  an  unpleasant  degree. 
but  it  pushed  him  on  in  his  beaten  path,  and  made  him 
the  pioneer  of  important  movements  and  reforms. 
Hi*  manner  of  life  as  an  employer  and  business  man 
characterized  by  idiosyncrasies  peculiarly  his  own. 
lie  was  kind,  but  exacting.     He  had  ways  of  his  own 
in  transacting  business,  and  disliked  to  be  jostled  by 
the  ways  of  the  world.     He  would  have   lived  more 
pleasantly  in  London  than  in  Boston,  in  England  than 
in  America.     He  depended  for  success  not  upon  tin- 
and  show,  but  upon  substance  and  merit.     His 
piano-  were  well  made,  and,  as  was  frequently  stated, 
trength  of  tone,  finish,  and  durable  manu- 
factui  are  unsurpassed."      He  was  especially 

of  fan  lily  music,   and  accordinglv   took   sincere 
in    introducing    th  lian  Attachment," 


HIS    MANNER    OF    LIFE.  25 

combining  the  power  of  the  organ  with  the  sweetness 
of  the  piano.  The  yEolian  Attachment,  invented  by 
Coleman,  is  a  wind  instrument  of  the  softest  and  most 
delicate  tones,  and  is  so  united  to  the  piano-forte  that 
the  same  key-board  controls  both  instruments,  so  that 
either  one  of  the  two  instruments  may  be  used,  or  both 
together,  blending  in  delightful  and  undistinguishable 
harmony.  Of  this  instrument  Mr.  Gilbert  was  very 
fond  ;  and  indeed  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  an  instru- 
ment better  adapted  to  accompany  and  assist  the  hu- 
man voice,  or  to  express  the  deepest  emotions  and  sweet- 
est experiences  of  the  human  heart.  At  the  family 
altar  the  hymn  books  were  passed  around,  and  all  sang. 
In  singing  he  worshipped,  as  well  as  in  reading  and 
prayer.  In  selling  instruments  he  would  never  dis- 
guise a  fault  or  press  a  virtue.  His  pianos  were  great 
favorites  in  the  South.  They  were  easily  kept  in  tune, 
and  their  music  was  soft  and  pleasant  to  the  ear.  He 
was  known  in  his  business  to  be  an  abolitionist,  and 
would  never  compromise  principle  to  secure  favor.  A 
North  Carolinian,  having  purchased  and  paid  for  a  pia- 
no, turned  upon  him,  and  said,  "  Mr.  Gilbert,  you  are 
an  abolitionist."  "  I  am."  "  That  money  is  the  product 
of  slavery."  "  Well,"  said  the  fearless  soul,  "  I  guess 
it  won't  help  slavery  while  in  my  possession."  "  But 
are  you  not  principled  against  receiving  it?"  "  No  ;.  I 
hate  slaveiy,  not  the  money."  "  That  is  honest,"  said 
the  tall  Carolinian,  and  shaking  hands,  went  his  way, 
impressed  by  the  bearing  of  the  fearless  deacon.  His 
manner  of  life  as  a  politician  is  known  to  but  few. 
He  had  no  aspirations  for  office.  But  he  loved  work, 
and  was  glad  of  influence. 
2 


MBMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Early  in  life  he  came  to  believe  in  human  freedom. 
It  resulted  from  his  faith  in  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  man- 
kind. The  tie  that  bound  him  to  God,  linked  him  to 
the  race.  He  regarded  the  cross  of  Christ  as  the 
standard  of  hope,  and  the  gospel  of  Christ,  preached 
and  practised,  as  the  power  of  God  unto  the  salvation 
of  men.  The  roar  of  that  terrible  tempest  which  came 
near  levelling  the  superstructures  of  hope  had  been  but 
faintly  heard,  when  Timothy  Gilbert,  in  the  prime  and 
Bush  of  a  young  and  vigorous  manhood,  consecrated 
himself  to  the  cause  of  the  down-trodden  slave.  Hav- 
ing made  up  his  mind  that  slavery  was  the  "  sum  of 
all  villanies,"  that  it  was  the  violation  of  God's  law 
written  in  Bibles  and  in  the  constitution  of  human 
nature,  that  the  oppressed  needed  help  to  break  the 
oppressors'  yoke,  he  resolved  to  lend  a  helping  hand. 

The  idea  took  deep  root  in  his  nature.  It  did  not 
ruin  him,  as  it  ruined  thousands.  It  did  not  make  an 
infidel  of  him,  and  cause  him  to  revile  the  church  and 
revile  the  ministry.  He  did  not  deny  the  divinity  of 
Christ,  because  he  contended  for  the  humanity  of  the 
negro.  lie  followed  Christ,  and  worked  for  man. 
He  accepted  the  truth,  and  gave  it  liberty  to  influence 
his  life.  It  did  influence  that  life.  At  times  it  ruled 
him,  and  made  him  a  terror  to  evil  doers,  and  a  praise 
to  them  who  do  well.  Checked  and  held  back  by 
timid  and  conservative  friends,  it  swelled  within  him 
like  a  mountain  torrent.  But  he  gave  bounds  to  the 
throbbing  emotion,  and  mastered  the  indignation  that 
burned  like  a  lire  within,  and  walked  firmly  if  quietly, 
sternly  if  peacefully. 

Review  a  few  facts.    Believing  that  the  negro  should 


HIS    MANNER    OF    LIFE.  2>] 

be  treated  as  a  man,  he  invited  one  to  take  a  seat 
beside  him  in  his  pew.  It  created  talk.  It  made  him 
odious.  The  pastor  did  not  approve  it,  brethren  did 
not  like  it.  He  persisted  in  two  things.  First,  in  his 
right  to  treat  the  negro  as  a  man  and  a  friend. 
Second,  in  his  right  to  his  own  seat  in  the  house  of 
God.  The  excitement  produced  an  unlooked-for 
result.  It  made  him  feel  the  importance  of  a  free- 
seated  house  of  worship.     The  seedling  was  planted. 

In  the  course  of  time  he  joined  the  Federal  Street 
church,  having  been  assured  that  there  would  be  no 
objections  to  his  taking  into  his  seat  any  whom  he 
might  desire.  It  may  perhaps  be  stated  as  a  fact,  that 
had  it  not  been  for  this  discussion,  and  for  his  subse- 
quent experience  in  obtaining  seats  for  the  young 
mechanics  about  him,  the  purpose  to  build  Tremont 
Temple  had  never  been  formed. 

He  came  to  Boston  in  1 819.  It  was  a  wonderful 
year.  Then  began  the  anti-slavery  agitation  in  Con- 
gress. It  will  be  remembered  that  previous  to  the 
year  1819,  the  admissions  to  the  Union  had  been  of  a 
slaveholding  and  non-slaveholding  state  alternately. 
As  Alabama  was  to  come  in  as  a  slave  state,  it  was 
claimed  that  Missouri  should  come  in  as  a  non-slave 
state. 

The  slaveholders  resisted,  and  claimed  that  the  pro- 
vision of  the  treaty  ceding  Louisiana  territory  to  the 
Union  carried  with  it  the  right  to  hold  colored  men 
as  property. 

State  sovereignty  lifted  its  hydra  heads,  and  con- 
tended that  Congress  could  not  interfere  with  slave- 
holding  without  infringing  state  rights.     The  restric- 


j\  MKMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

tionists  refused  to  admit  that  to  hold  slaves  was  any 
right  oi  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  They  went 
on  to  argue  that  as  slavery  was  an  enormous  evil, 
totally  contrary  to  the  principles  of  the  American 
rnment,  for  Congress  to  admit  it,  when  it  had  the 
power  of  exclusion,  would  be  at  once  a  gross  derelic- 
tion  of  principles,  and  a  sacrifice  of  the  interests  of 
labor  and  laboring  men  to  those  of  the  comparatively 
small  and  much  less  meritorious  class  of  slaveholders. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  the  effect  of  words  like 
these  upon  the  heart  and  mind  of  the  young  mechanic. 
lli—  soul .was  stirred.  He  grasped  the  central  truth, 
and  clung  to  it  for  more  than  forty  years,  through  evil 
as  well  as  through  good  report. 

The  history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  abolition  in 
the  United  States  waits  to  be  written.  The  principles 
that  underlie  the  movement  are  as  old  as  God,  and 
run  parallel  with  the  progress  of  the  race.  Wherever 
the  gospel  has  exerted  its  influence,  slavery  has  been 
felt  to  be  a  sin.  In  our  revolutionary  struggle,  the 
claims  of  human  nature  were  asserted.  General 
Gates,  the  hero  of  Saratoga,  emancipated  his  slaves 
in  1780.  In  the  papers  preserved  by  Mr.  Gilbert  are 
records  of  emancipation  movements  and  abolition 
meetings,  beginning  with  the  year  1783,  when,  in 
Woodbridge,  Middlesex  County,  N.  J.,  on  the  4th 
of  Jul\-,  the  first  anniversary  of  our  independence 
after  the  revolutionary  war,  an  abolition  meeting  was 
held,  at  which  time  a  Dr.  Bloomfield  emancipated 
fourteen  slaves.  The  scene  must  have  been  impres- 
sive. Great  preparations  had  been  made,  and  an 
immense    concourse    of    people    had    assembled.     A 


HIS    MANNER    OF   LIFE.  29 

platform  was  erected  just  above  the  heads  of  the 
spectators,  and  at  a  given  signal  the  doctor,  followed 
by  his  slaves,  seven  on  the  right  and  seven  on  the 
left  hand,  mounted  the  platform  and  addressed  the  mul- 
titude on  the  subject  of  slavery  and  its  evils,  and  in 
conclusion  said,  "  As  a  nation  we  are  free  and  inde- 
pendent :  all  men  are  born  equal,  and  why  should 
these,  my  fellow-citizens,  my  equals,  be  held  in  bond- 
age ?  From  this  day  they  are  emancipated ;  and  I 
here  declare  them  free  and  absolved  from  all  servitude 
to  me  or  my  posterity."  Then  calling  up  one  ad- 
vanced in  years,  he  said,  "  Hector,  whenever  you 
become  too  old  or  infirm  to  support  yourself,  you  are 
entitled  to  your  maintenance  from  me  or  my  property. 
How  long  do  you  suppose  it  will  be  before  you  will 
require  maintenance?  Hector  held  up  his  left  hand, 
and  with  his  right  drew  a  line  across  the  middle  joints 
of  his  fingers,  saying,  "  Never,  never,  massa,  so  long 
as  any  of  these  fingers  remain  below  the  joints." 
Then  turning  to  the  audience,  the  doctor  remarked, 
"  There,  fellow-citizens,  you  see  that  liberty  is  as  dear 
to  the  man  of  color  as  to  you  or  me."  The  air  now 
rang  with  shouts  of  applause,  and  thus  the  scene 
ended.  Such  incidents  charmed  him.  He  felt  that 
they  were  types  of  great  possibilities.  He  was  proud 
to  recall  to  the  recollection  of  men  who  were  fond  of 
calling  abolitionists  fanatics,  that  Abolition  Societies 
were  formed  as  early  as  1774,  and  that  John  Jay, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  Ben- 
jamin Rush  occupied  prominent  positions  in  them. 
.He  recognized  Washington  as  an  abolitionist,  and 
took  pleasure  in  recounting  the  triumphs  of  the  party 


}Q  MBMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

o[  freedom.  Yet  even  here  his  glorying  was  linked 
to  the  cause  oi  Christ.  He  acknowledged  with  pleas- 
ure the  obligations  of  the  country  to  Benjamin  Lun- 
ch,  horn  in  Sussex  County,  N.  J.,  who  consecrated 
himself  to  the  service  of  the  negro,  and  labored  to 
establish  Abolition  Societies  as  early  as  1815,  and  who, 
after  incredible  hardships  and  privations,  came  to  Bos- 
tun,  and  had  the  honor  of  awakening  a  passion  for  the 
cause  of  freedom  in  the  breast  of  William  Lloyd 
Garrison,  who,  born  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  in  1805, 
was  then,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  editor  of  the  Na- 
tional Philanthropist,  an  organ  of  the  temperance 
movement.  It  was,  however,  his  boast  that  while  Mr. 
Garrison  learned  the  value  of  human  freedom,  the 
worth  of  a  human  soul,  though  enshrined  in  a  dark 
setting,  he  and  William  Crane,  of  Baltimore,  and  Clark- 
son  and  Wilberforce,  learned  the  same  glorious  truth 
from  the  spirit  inculcated  by  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

The  supposition  widely  prevails  that  freedom 
has  been  obtained  for  the  enslaved  in  spite  of  the 
church.  It  is  a  groundless  supposition.  The  church 
has  led  the  way.  Christians  in  this  nineteenth  century 
have  made  the  age  in  which  they  live  glorious,  be- 
cause of  what  God  has  wrought  through  them  and  by 
them.  The  history  of  the  triumphs  of  this  principle 
is  not  half  written,  when  the  exploits  of  the  so-called 
Liberty  party  are  chronicled.  Much  is  said  against 
the  church,  and  little  is  said  against  any  one  outside 
of  the  church  ;  just  as  much  is  said  against  Christians, 
and  little  is  said  against  infidels,  not  because  Chris- 
tians or  the  church  are  worse  than  infidels  or  world- 
lings, but  because  so  much  more  is  expected  of  those 
who  profess  a  love  for  and  an  allegiance  to  Christ. 


HIS    MANNER    OF    LIFE.  3 1 

On  the  hill-top  of  this  century,  as  of  others,  pos- 
terity will  behold  the  face  of  some  prominent  Chris- 
tian, who,  through  evil  report  and  good  report,  has 
battled  for  the  rights  of  man  and  the  glory  of  God. 
If  the  church,  as  a  body,  has  been  slow  to  take  hold  of 
reformatory  measures,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  tardiness 
has  not  been  in  consequence  of  a  want  of  a  love  for 
man,  but  from  an  apprehension  that  such  a  course  of 
procedure  would  distract  attention  and  imperil  the 
interests  of  souls.  In  the  great  convocations  of  the 
Baptists,  Presbyterians,  and  Methodist  churches,  it  is 
not  true  that  those  who  resisted  slavery  agitations 
loved  slavery  or  believed  in  it.  They  felt  that  the 
church  and  the  societies  to  which  they  belonged  were 
under  obligations  to  render  unto  God  the  things  which 
belonged  to  God.  If  this  made  them  slow  to  render 
unto  Caesar  the  things  which  belonged  to  Caesar,  it  is 
pleasant  to  discover  that  the  fear  arose,  not  because 
of  a  love  for  Caesar,  but  for  Christ. 

The  lives  of  Timothy  Gilbert,  Nathaniel  Colver, 
William  Crane,  Jacob  Knapp,  Elon  Galusha,  and  a 
host  of  others,  prove  that  the  interests  of  bondmen  found 
advocates  in  the  church  as  fearless,  as  uncompromis- 
ing, as  valiant  as  ever  were  found  in  the  ranks  of  re- 
formers. We  do  not  wish  to  disparage  the  efforts 
made  by  Liberals  and  so-called  infidels.  They  have 
wrought  well  if  not  wisely  ;  but  we  do  contend  that  a 
comparison  made  in  the  church  with  the  efforts  made 
outside  of  it,  will  serve  to  reflect  lasting  honor  upon 
the  church  as  an  agency  of  good  even  in  promoting 
the  temporal  and  political  advancement  of  mankind. 

Space  will  not  permit  extended  sketches  of  contem- 


3- 


MKMOlll    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 


poraries  ;  but  a  reference  to  them  is  essential  to  this 
record  o\~  a  life  which  identified  itself  with  the  benef- 
icent and  heroic  in  the  church  and  in  the  world.  It 
is  well  to  remember  that  seven  years  before  Timothy 
Gilbert  came  to  Boston,  William  Crane,  born  in  New- 
ark. X.  J..  1790,  went  to  Richmond,  Va.,  where,  in 
1815,  the  same  year  that  Lundy  formed  an  Abolition 
Society,  he  with  others  founded  the  African  Mission- 
ary Society,  with  a  view  solely  to  missions  in  Africa. 
In  the  same  year  he  established  a  night  school,  where, 
for  three  nights  in  the  week,  colored  people  were 
taught  to  read  and  write.  Lott  Cary,  the  pioneer 
missionary  to  Africa,  received  a  large  part  of  his 
education  here,  and  was  fitted  for  his  responsible 
work  in  the  land  of  his  fathers  and  among  the  neg- 
lected people  of  his  own  race. 

The  influence  of  Isaac  T.  Hopper's  life  in  Philadel- 
phia and  Xew  York  had  much  to  do  in  giving  shape 
and  character  to  the  spirit  of  reform.  Born  in  New 
Jersey  in  1771?  ne  j°ined  the  Society  of  Friends,  early 
removed  to  Philadelphia,  and  became  prominent  as 
the  friend  of  the  slave.  It  is  a  little  singular  that 
Xew  Jersey,  which  in  politics  has  ever  been  on  the 
pro-slavery  side,  should  have  furnished  a  birthplace  to 
so  many  advocates  of  freedom.  The  story  of  Mr. 
Hopper's  life  has  been  written  by  L.  Maria  Child. 
The  incidents  of  that  life  in  detached  portions  have 
for  more  than  a  half  a  century  occupied  their  share 
of  public  attention.  We  can  remember  the  effect  of 
those  accredited  talcs,  and  can  easily  imagine  the  in- 
fluence they  exerted  upon  the  heart  and  mind  of  the 
youthful  mechanic,  alive  to  the  interests  of  the  cause 


HIS    MANNER    OF    LIFE.  33 

of  freedom.  A  slave  comes  by  night  to  his  unpre- 
tending home,  and  he  relates  the  story  of  his  escape, 
of  his  being  discovered  in  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love, 
and  of  what  Friend  Hopper  did  for  him.  As  a  speci- 
men, take  this  treasured  record  of  "Mary  Halliday," 
a  very  light  mulatto  girl,  in  the  service  of  a  Mr.  Fran- 
cis, a  slave  of  a  Mrs.  Sears,  of  Maryland. 

She  was  discovered.  Mrs.  Sears  claimed  her.  Mr. 
Francis,  valuing  her  services,  asks  Mr.  Hopper  to  try 
and  purchase  her  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
Mrs.  Sears  refuses  to  sell,  and  declares  her  purpose  to 
take  her  back  to  Maryland,  and  to  make  an  example 
of  her. 

"I  hope  thou  wilt  find  thyself  disappointed,"  replies 
Friend  Hopper.  Finding  himself  beaten  there,  and 
disappointed  in  the  result,  he  resolved  to  carry  the 
case  to  a  higher  court.  For  that  purpose  he  obtained 
a  writ  "  de  homine  reftlegiando"  and  when  the  suita- 
ble occasion  arrived  he  accompanied  Mary  Halliday 
to  the  mayor's  office  with  a  deputy  sheriff  to  serve  the 
writ.  When  the  trial  came  on  he  urged  the  insuf- 
ficiency of  proof  brought  by  the  claimant.  The  mayor 
replied  in  a  peremptory  tone,  "  I  have  already  de- 
cided that  matter.  I  shall  deliver  the  slave  to  her 
mistress."  Friend  Hopper  gave  the  sheriff  the  signal 
to  serve  the  writ.  He  was  a  novice  in  the  business, 
but,  laying  his  hand  upon  her  shoulder,  said,  "  By 
virtue  of  this  writ  I  replevin  this  woman  and  deliver 
her  to  Mr.  Hopper."  Her  protector  immediately  bade 
Mary  go  home  with  him.  Her  mistress,  seizing  her 
arm,  said,  "  She  shall  not  go."  The  mayor  was  con- 
founded and  perplexed,  and  inquired  what  the  writ 


34  MOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

[t  is  a  l  komtne  replegiandoj  replied  Friend 

%*  I  don't  un  what  that  means."     "It is  none 

the  less  powerful  on  that  account  It  has  taken  the 
woman  out  of  thy  power,  and  delivered  her  to  another 
tribunal."  The  mayor  was  puzzled,  but  told  Mrs. 
S<  s  to  let  her  go.  She  inquired.  "What  am  I  to 
eplied.  ••  Ask  Mr.  Hopper.  His  laws  are 
above  mine.  I  thought  I  knew  something  about  the 
business,  but  it  seems  I  don't."  And  so  Mary  in  the 
end  got  fa 

.V  slave  accompanies  his  master  —  longs  for  free- 
dom—  is  told  to  keep  quiet  six  months  —  does  so  — 
wins  his  freedom  after  a  frightful  contest  with  his 
master.     These  stories  filled  the  air. 

There  was  something  exciting  in  the  hunt.  Who 
has  not  seen  the  victim,  with  the  fresh  brand  on  arm 
and  cheek,  creep  into  the  room,  be  fed  and  housed,  and 
They  came  singly,  and  in  companies  of 
two.  three,  and  four,  to  the  house  of  Timothy  Gilbert. 
These  stories  excited  attention.  This  spirit  of  receiv- 
ing slaves  became  infectious.  Slaveholders  came 
North  after  their  chattels.  Slaves  crept  South  after 
-  and  children. 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  was  born  of  this  spirit,  that  was 
formed  by  these  years  of  smouldering  fires. 

Debates  in  neighborhoods  and  churches  grew  apace 
and  waxed  furious. 

The  Christian  heart  of  Timothy  Gilbert  was  ready 

.:.      His    mind   was    made   up.     He   was 

quiet,   unostentati  rmined,   full  of   shifts   and 

subterfuges;   believed  God.  him   for   his  care 

of  the  poor,  and  worked  like  a  hero  in  the  cam 


HIS    MANNER    OF    LIFE.  35 

Look  at  the  Congressional  Debates,  and  we  perceive 
in  the  discussion  of  1819  the  seedlings  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill,  and  the  anti-slavery  agitation  which 
shook  the  continent. 

Cobb,  of  Georgia,  fixing  his  eye  upon  Tallmadge, 
the  original  mover  of  the  restriction  in  the  Missouri 
compromise  debate,  exclaimed,  that  "  a  fire  had  been 
kindled  which  all  the  waters  of  the  ocean  could  not 
put  out,  and  which  only  seas  of  blood  could  extin- 
guish "  —  a  prophecy  which  Timothy  Gilbert  saw 
fulfilled. 

Tallmadge  replied,  "  Language  of  this  sort  has  no 
effect  upon  me.  My  purpose  is  fixed.  It  is  inter- 
woven with  my  existence.  Its  durability  is  limited 
with  my  life.  It  is  a  great  and  glorious  cause,  — 
setting  bounds  to  slavery  the  most  cruel  and  debasing 
the  world  has  ever  witnessed.  It  is  the  cause  of  the 
freedom  of  man.  If  a  dissolution  of  the  Union  must 
take  place,  let  it  be  so.  If  civil  war,  which,  gentlemen 
so  much  threaten,  must  come,  I  can  only  say,  let  it 
come.  ...  If  blood  is  necessary  to  extinguish  any 
fire  which  I  have  assisted  to  kindle,  while  I  regret  the 
necessity,  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  contribute  my  own. 
Are  we  to  be  told  of  the  dissolution  of  the  Union,  of 
civil  war,  and  seas  of  blood?  And  yet  with  such 
awful  threatenings  do  gentlemen  in  the  same  breath 
insist  on  the  extension  of  this  evil  and  scourge  —  an 
evil  brought  on  with  dire  calamities  to  us  as  individ- 
uals and  to  the  nation,  threatening  in  its  progress  to 
overthrow,  along  with  the  liberties  of  the  country,  all 
our  notions  of  religion  and  morals.  You  behold 
southern    gentlemen    contributing    to    teach    the    doc- 


M  KM  OIK    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

brines    oi     Christianity    in    every  part    of    the    globe. 

Turn  over  the  page,  and  you  behold  them  legislating 

secure  the   ignorance   and   stupidity  of  their  own 

slaves.     The   man   who    teaches   a   negro    to    read  is 

liable  to  a  criminal  prosecution.     The  dark,  benighted 

beings  of  all  creation   profit   by  our   liberality,  save 

our  own  plantations.     Where  is  the  mission- 

arv    of   hardihood    enough    to    venture    to    teach    the 

slaves  of  Georgia?     Here    is    the    stain,  the    stigma, 

which  fastens  on  the  character  of  our  country,  and 

which,  in  the  appropriate  language  of  the  gentleman 

from  Georgia,  not  all  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  only 

-  of  blood,  can  wash  out." 

Timothy  Gilbert  was  then  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
The  church  had  a  conscience  at  this  time.  Chris- 
tians South,  as  well  as  Christians  North,  were  awake 
to  such  ajDpeals.  We  behold  that  handsome,  black- 
eved.  thoughtful  mechanic  pondering  these  truths.  He 
takes  his  stand.  A  principle  is  begotten  within  him. 
.V  negro  is  a  man,  and  shall  be  considered  a  man. 
We  shall  see  the  results  of  this  stand.  Two  years 
^one. 

The  church  shakes  itself,  and  feels  its  fetters.  Par- 
have  formed  and  are  forming.  The  opinion  is 
entertained  that  slavery  is  a  local  sin,  bound  by  state 
lines,  and  that  freedom  of  thought  and  utterance  shall 
not  overleap  them. 

A  few  radical  men  in  Boston  believed  that  truth 
of  God,  and  scorned  boundaries.  In  183 1  there 
came  from  Virginia  a  protest  concerning  an  incen- 
diary print  being  freely  distributed  among  their  peo- 
ple. Harrison  Gray  Otis,  a  former  mayor  of  Boston, 
writes  a  letter,  in  which  he  says, — 


HIS    MANNER    OF    LIFE.  37 

"  The  first  information,  received  by  me,  of  a  dispo- 
sition to  agitate  this  subject  in  our  state,  was  from  the 
governors  of  Virginia  and  Georgia,  severally  remon- 
strating against  an  incendiary  newspaper  published  in 
Boston,  and,  as  they  alleged,  thrown  broadcast  among 
their  plantations,  inciting  to  insurrection  and  its  horrid 
results.  It  appeared,  on  inquiry,  that  no  member  of 
the  city  government  of  Boston  had  ever  heard  of 
the  publication.  Some  time  afterwards  it  was  re- 
ported to  me  by  the  city  officers,  that  they  had  ferreted 
out  the  paper  and  its  editor  ;  that  his  office  was  an 
obscure  hole,  his  only  visible  auxiliary  a  negro  boy, 
and  his  supporters  a  very  few  insignificant  persons  of 
all  colors.  This  information  ...  I  communicated 
to  the  above-named  governors,  with  an  assurance  of 
my  belief  that  the  new  fanaticism  had  not  made,  nor 
was  likely  to  make,  proselytes  among  the  respectable 
classes  of  our  people." 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  in  1831.  Anti-slavery, 
said,  the  Hon.  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  had  an  "  obscure 
hole  "  for  its  headquarters. 

Ah,  it  had  more  than  that.  The  heart  of  God  was 
its  headquarters,  and  the  hearts  of  his  children,  among 
whom  proudly  stood  Timothy  Gilbert,  were  the  chan- 
nel through  which  its  currents  found  their  way  to  this 
world. 

It  is  well  to  notice  how  and  why  this  subject  has 
been  kept  before  the  people.  At  the  outset  champions 
found  a  home  in  every  state  of  the  Union.  Brave 
words  and  glowing  tributes  fell  from  the  lips  of  a 
Pinkney  of  South  Carolina,  a  Randolph  of  Vir- 
ginia, characterized  by  as  earnest  an  utterance  is  ever 


j8  mi:moir  of  timothy  gilbert. 

distinguished  an  Adams  or  a  Sumner.  The  war  of 
181a  began  to  draw  the  lines.  New  England  opposed 
the  South.  In  1S20  the  battle  became  general.  In 
1831  John  Quincy  Adams  stood  forth  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  as  the  champion  for  the  right  of 
petition.  In  1S37  the  House  adopted  a  rule,  which 
sustained  by  the  Senate,  ordaining  that  no  petition 
relating  to  slavery,  nearly  or  remotely,  should  be  read, 
debated,  or  considered.  The  state  authorities  ap- 
proved. Slavery  was  supported  by  the  courts  no  less 
than  by  the  fixed  habits  of  thought  and  action  among 
the  people. 

In  1S32  the  Nat  Turner  insurrection  occurred  in 
Virginia.  It  was  well  planned,  but  its  author  failed, 
and  was  destroyed.  Henceforth  colored  preachers 
are  banished  from  the  pulpit. 

In  1  S3 1  John  Quincy  Adams  took  his  seat  in  Con- 
>s,  two  years  after  he  retired  from  the  Presidency 
of  the  United  States.  He  is  sixty-four  years  of 
age,  but  the  fires  of  youth  burn  unquenched  in  his 
veins.  In  1835  his  congressional  career  attracted 
national  attention.  With  all  the  ardor  and  zeal  of 
youth,  he  placed  himself  in  the  front  ranks  of  the 
battle  which  ensued  on  the  right  of  petition,  plunged 
into  the  very  midst  of  the  melee,  and  with  a  dauntless 
courage,  that  won  the  plaudits  of  the  world,  held  aloft 
the  banner  of  freedom  in  the  halls  of  Congress  when 
other  hearts  quailed  and  fell  back.  In  these  contests 
a  spirit  blazed  out,  as  he  led  the  "forlorn  hope," 
which  electrified  the   nation  with  admiration. 

His  first  act  was  in  relation  to  slavery.  He  pre- 
sented, on  the   1 2th  of  December,  1831,  fifteen  peti- 


HIS    MANNER    OF   LIFE.  39 

tions,  numerously  signed,  for  the  abolition  of  slavery 
in  the  District  of  Columbia.  On  he  marched,  when 
the  most  sanguine  believed  his  almost  superhuman 
labors  would  be  in  vain.  Not  so.  Like  the  gnarled 
oak  beaten  by  tempests,  the  sage  of  Quincy  grew 
each  day  more  hardy  and  more  bold,  as,  unmoved  by 
the  storm  raging  around  him,  he  battled  for  the  right. 
His  course  was  righteous.  The  air  was  full  of  a 
spirit  that  worked  for  him.  Timothy  Gilbert,  in  Bos- 
ton, wrote  petition  after  petition,  which  were  signed 
and  forwarded.  Whoever  came  to  his  office  had  the 
privilege  of  hearing  some  fresh  utterance.  In  the 
church,  on  the  street,  in  his  home,  and  in  his  place  of 
business,  he  fanned  the  flame  of  liberty.  The  opposi- 
tion in  Congress,  in  abolishing  the  freedom  of  speech 
and  the  right  of  petition,  to  save  an  obnoxious  institu- 
tion, went  a  step  too  far.  They  made  an  attempt  to 
place  their  feet  upon  the  neck  of  a  free  people. 
There  were  too  many  men  like  Timothy  Gilbert  in 
the  North.  From  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other 
there  was  revolt,  upheaval,  shame,  confusion,  and 
disaster.  Abolition  Societies  were  formed.  Docu- 
ments were  circulated,  while  each  day  Adams  fol- 
lowed petition  with  petition,  now  from  the  radical 
North  and  now  from  the  slaveholding  South,  now  from 
freemen  and  now  from  slaves,  now  that  slavery  may 
be  abolished  and  now  that  it  may  be  strengthened, 
until  his  enemies  were  confounded  by  his  tactics, 
overwhelmed  with  confusion  by  his  gathering  reputa- 
tion and  increasing  power,  and  scathed  by  his  words 
of  irony,  denunciation,  and  sublime  utterances  in  be- 
half of  freedom. 


40  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

He  claimed  that  the  South  was  bound  and  cemented 
together  by  a  common  intense  interest  of  property  to 
the  amount  oi  $1,200,000,000  in  human  beings;  that 
this  vast  sum  is  invested  in  property  which  comes 
under  a  classification  once  denominated  by  a  govern- 
or in  Virginia  as  "  property  acquired  by  crime"; 
k*  which,  in  the  purification  of  human  virtue,  and  the 
progress  of  the  Christian  religion,  has  become,  and  is 
daily  becoming,  more  and  more  odious  ;  that  Wash- 
ington and  Jefferson,  themselves  slaveholders,  living 
and  dying,  bore  testimony  against  it ;  that  it  was  the 
remorse  of  John  Randolph  dying  ;  that  it  is  renounced 
and  abjured  by  the  Supreme  Pontiff  of  the  Roman 
Church  ;  abolished  with  execration  by  the  Moham- 
medan despot  of  Tunis  ;  shaken  to  its  foundations  by 
the  imperial  autocrat  of  all  the  Russian,  and  the 
absolute  monarch  of  Austria,  —  all,  all  bearing  re- 
luctant and  extorted  testimony  to  the  self-evident  truth, 
that,  by  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  nature's  God,  man 
cannot  be  the  property  of  man." 

"  Recollect  that  the  first  cry  of  human  feeling  against 
this  unhallowed  outrage  upon  human  rights  came 
from  ourselves ;  that  it  passed  from  us  to  England, 
from  England  to  France,  and  spread  over  the  whole 
civilized  world ;  that  after  struggling  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury against  the  most  sordid  interests  and  most  furious 
passions  of  man,  it  made  its  way  at  length  into  the 
Parliament,  and  ascended  the  throne  of  the  British 
Isles.  The  slave-trade  was  made  piracy  first  by  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  then  by  the  Parlia- 
ment of  Great  Britain.  But  the  curse  fastened,  by 
the  progress  of  Christian  charity  and  of  human  rights, 


HIS    MANNER    OF   LIFE.  41 

upon  the  African  slave-trade,  could  not  rest  there.  If 
the  African  slave-trade  was  piracy,  the  coasting  Amer- 
ican slave-trade  was  piracy  ;  nor  could  its  aggravated 
turpitude  be  denied.  In  the  sight  of  the  same  God 
who  abhors  the  iniquity  of  the  African  slave-trade, 
neither  the  American  slave-trade  nor  slavery  itself  can 
be  held  guiltless."  Such  is  a  specimen  of  his  style, 
and  of  fiery  bolts  he  hurled  against  the  tottering  citadel 
of  slavery.  Soon  he  gained  upon  his  adversary.  Con- 
gressional district  after  district  sent  champions  to  his 
side.  States  reconsidered  and  resolved  in  his  behalf. 
Church  after  church,  and  association  after  association, 
followed  in  the  march  to  freedom,  and  kept  step  to 
the  bugle  notes  of  liberty.  Soon  he  gained  upon  his 
adversaries.  He  saw  the  tide  was  turning,  and  then 
struck  one  masterly  blow,  not  alone  for  freedom  of 
petition  and  debate,  but  of  bold  and  retaliatory  war- 
fare. Like  the  enraged  moose  of  our  western  wilds, 
when  the  hounds  are  wearied,  and  when  his  blood  is 
up,  he  pounced  upon  his  assailants  with  crushing 
force,  and  offered  the  following  amendment  to  the 
Constitution,  to  be  submitted  to  the  people  of  the 
several  states  for  their  adoption:  "  From  and  after 
the  4th  day  of  July,  1842,  there  shall  be,  throughout 
the  United  States,  ?zo  hereditary  slavery ;  but  on  and 
after  that  day,  every  child  born  within  the  United 
States  shall  be  free."  In  1845  the  obnoxious  rule  of 
the  House  was  rescinded.  The  freedom  of  debate 
and  of  petition  was  restored,  and  the  unrestrained  and 
irrepressible  discussions  of  slavery  by  the  press  and 
political  parties  began. 

In  the  mean  time  the  church  had  not  been  idle.     In 


42  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

Timothy  Gilbert's  parlor,  anti-slavery  meetings  were 
o\  frequent  occurrence.  In  his  church  his  views  were 
known.  In  the  community  he  was  a  recognized  power 
for  the  slave.  In  1S50  the  fugitive  slave  law  passed. 
We  cannot  describe  the  scenes  in  Congress,  in  Boston, 
and  throughout  the  Union.  Timothy  Gilbert,  on 
Wednesday.  September  25,  1850,  through  the  "  Even- 
ing Traveller,"  addressed  his  fellow-citizens  in  these 
words  :  — 

"  This  infamous  bill  has  finally  passed  both  Houses 
of  Congress.  My  opinions  may  have  but  little 
weight  with  those  who  voted  for  it,  but  may  help  sus- 
tain the  sinking  spirit  of  some  poor,  disconsolate  one, 
who.  having  fled  from  the  land  of  oppressors,  is  anx- 
iously looking  to  see  if  there  is  any  one  who  will  give 
him  a  cheering  look  or  a  kind  reception,  or  who  dares 
to  give  him  a  crust  of  bread  or  a  cup  of  water,  and 
help  him  on  the  way.  Allow  me  to  say  to  such  a 
one,  that  if  pursued  by  the  merciless  slaveholder,  and 
every  other  door  in  Boston  is  shut  against  him,  there 
is  a  door  that  will  be  open  at  No.  2  Beach  Street 
[now  No.  8],  and  that  the  fear  of  fines  and  imprison- 
ments will  be  ineffectual  when  the  pursuer  shall  de- 
mand his  victim.  If  he  enters  before  the  fleeing  cap- 
tive is  safe,  it  will  be  at  his  peril. 

"  I  am  opposed  to  war,  and  all  the  spirit  of  war, — 
even  to  all  preparations  for  what  is  called  self-defence 
in  times  of  peace,  —  yet  I  should  resist  the  pursuer, 
and  not  allow  him  to  enter  my  dwelling  until  he  was 
able  to  tread  me  under  his  feet.  I  will  not  trample 
upon  any  law,  either  of  my  own  state  or  of  the  nation, 
that  does  not  conflict  with  my  conscientious  duty  to 


HIS    MANNER   OF   LIFE.  43 

my  God ;  but  Jesus  has  commanded,  saying,  '  All 
things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 
you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them.' " 

Pause  a  moment.  The  man  is  true  to  humanity  — 
as  true  as  was  Theodore  Parker,  or  Garrison,  or  Phil- 
lips, the  thunders  of  whose  eloquence  shook  Faneuil 
Hall,  and  resounded  through  the  land.  He  did  not 
turn  away  from  Christ,  nor  ignore  the  divinity  of  the 
Son  of  God,  while  he  battled  for  the  humanity  of  the 
negro.  He  carried  his  love  for  Christ  through  all 
those  years  of  obloquy  and  reproach ;  and  boldly 
writes  in  a  public  paper  his  reason  for  his  conduct, 
saying,  "  Jesus  has  commanded,"  and  then  proceeds 
with  the  argument.  Placing  himself  in  the  condition 
of  the  slave,  he  says,  "  If,  for  no  crime,  I  had  been 
taken  and  sold,  and  deprived  of  all  the  rights  of  my 
manhood,  and  degraded  to  the  rank  of  a  beast  of  bur- 
den, not  only  deprived  of  the  opportunity  to  labor  for 
the  support  of  my  wife  and  children,  but  even  deprived 
of  their  kind  sympathy  and  companionship  whenever 
the  interest  or  will  of  my  oppressors  should  require  it, 
and  I  should,  at  the  peril  of  my  life,  flee  from  my 
oppressors,  and  they  should  pursue  me  to  the  dwelling 
of  some  poor  disciple  of  Jesus,  —  it  may  be  that  of  a 
colored  man,  —  and  I  should  beg  of  him  to  protect 
me,  and  help  me  to  escape  from  the  pursuers'  grasp, 
should  I  not  hope,  if  he  was  a  Christian,  he  would 
give  me  bread  and  water,  and  help  me  on  my  way, 
regardless  of  the  fines  and  imprisonments  that  such  a 
kind  act  might  render  him  liable  to  ?  Could  I  expect 
to  meet  the  approbation  of  my  Lord  if  I  did  not  do  as 
much  for  the  fleeing  slave  ?     Can  there  be  a  Christian 


44 


MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 


in  the  land  of  the  Pilgrims  who  will  not  do  it,  and 
besides  do  all  in  his  power  to  prevent  anyone  of  those 
senators  or  representatives  in  Congress,  who  voted  for 
that  infamous  bill,  from  ever  again  misrepresenting 
any  portion  of  the  friends  of  freedom  in  Boston  or 
A  here?  It  is  said,  '  This  is  a  law  of  the  land,  and 
must  be  obeyed.'  To  such  I  would  say,  c  Whether  it 
be  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto  you  more 
than  unto  God,  judge  ye.' 

"  I  prefer  to  obey  God,  if  in  so  doing  I  must  break 
the  laws  of  men  and  be  punished,  rather  than  violate 
the  laws  of  God,  and  obey  the  laws  of  men  to  escape 
fines  and  imprisonments,  or  even  death."  Signed  T. 
Gilbert,  Boston,  September  3,  1850. 

To  this,  as  was  usual  in  his  letters,  is  attached  a 
postscript.  A  friend  once  said,  "  Timothy  Gilbert 
wrote  letters  for  his  postscripts.  Read  them,  and  you 
know  why  he  wrote."  In  this  postscript  he  explains 
why  he  calls  the  law  infamous,  and  gives  his  reason 
in  these  wrords :  "  Because  by  it  the  man  or  woman 
who  is  charged  with  being  a  slave  is  deprived  of  all 
the  means  of  self-defence  allowed  to  those  charged 
with  crimes,  and  to  be  delivered  up  summarily,  with- 
out the  right  of  trial  by  jury,  or  any  other  proper 
means  of  proving  the  charge  groundless.  Is  it  a  worse 
crime  to  be  a  slave  than  to  be  a  thief  or  a  murderer?" 

Two  facts  deserve  mention.  That  night,  as  soon  as 
Theodore  Parker  had  devoured  the  letter,  while  his 
heart  was  hot,  he  grasped  his  hat,  ran  round  the  cor- 
ner, found  No.  2  Beach  Street,  rung  the  be^l,  and 
said,  "'Is  Timothy  Gilbert  in?'  Timothy  Gilbert 
stepped  into  the  hall,  and  then  and  there  for  the  first 
time  locked  hands  with  that  fiery  apostle  of  freedom." 


HIS    MANNER   OF   LIFE.  45 

Last  spring,  in  Virginia,  I  pictured  the  scene,  and 
related  this  story,  to  three  thousand  negroes  in  Rich- 
mond. Their  sighs  and  sobs  revealed  the  fact  that  an 
answering  chord  of  sympathy  had  been  struck,  while 
their  conduct  to  our  brothers  all  through  the  war, 
their  kindness  to  the  poor,  escaped  prisoners,  to  the 
wounded  and  dying,  show  that  the  effect  of  our  kind- 
ness to  fleeing  fugitives  has  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  loyal  African  heart. 

There  was  another  fact  revealed  to  us  by  a  scrap 
of  history  brought  to  our  notice  by  the  waves  of  war. 
We  find  the  following  in  the  "  Massachusetts  Weekly 
Spy,"  Worcester,  October  29,  1862  :  — 

"  Rebel  Documents.  —  One  of  our  correspondents 
with  the  sixth  regiment  has  been  kind  enough  to 
send  us  several  rebel  documents  found  in  a  lawyer's 
office  in  Suffolk,  Va.  The  office  has  been  taken  for 
a  guard-house,  its  owner,  Nathaniel  Reddick,  being 
now  in  Jeff  Davis's  army.  Among  the  papers  is  a 
receipt  for  i  one  negro  woman  named  Reuben,'  signed 
by  Reddick  aforesaid ;  also  a  challenge  to  mortal  com- 
bat from  one  Graham  to  a  Dr.  Bradford,  dated  1796. 
The  challenge  appears  to  have  been  accepted,  for, 
says  the  bearer  in  his  return,  '  His  answer  was,  at  the 
Cool  Springs  he  would  meet  you  at  daylight  on  Sun- 
day morning.'  Whether  or  not  either  of  the  parties 
was  killed  is  a  matter  of  painful  uncertainty.  Last, 
but  not  least,  we  have  a  letter  under  date  of  New 
York,  January  21,  1851,  written  by  one  of  the  Red- 
dicks,  and  addressed  to  Benjamin,  the  lawyer,  in  which 
the  writer  gives  a  chapter  of  his  experience  in  pursuit 


MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

of  a  fugitive  slave.  The  '  case/ we  presume,  will  be 
readily  recalled  by  parties  in  Boston.  Riley,  referred 
to  in  the  letter,  doubtless  means  Patrick  Riley,  who, 
if  we  mistake  not,  was  a  deputy  under  United  States 
Marshal  Devens.  The  'man  Gilbert'  clearly  refers 
[Timothy  Gilbert,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Boston, 
the  manufacturer  of  Gilbert's  piano-fortes.  '  The  fac- 
which  the  writer  refers  to  can  be  none  other 
that  his  extensive  warehouse.  The  narrative  is  too 
interesting  to  keep,  and  notwithstanding  the  writer's 
request  to  *  keep  things  as  dark  as  possible,'  we  give 
the  letter  entire  :  — 

H  New  York,  January  21,  1850. 

"  Dear  Sir  :  This  morning  very  unexpectedly  finds 
us  in  Xew  York.  We  left  Boston  yesterday  about 
three  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  arrived  here  last  night  about 
twelve  M.  Monday  morning,  about  three  o'clock, 
in  disguise  and  in  company  with  the  officers,  we  w^ent 
and  guarded  every  street  leading  to  the  factory,  and 
were  perfectly  certain  of  arresting  the  boy  ;  thought 
there  could  not  be  a  doubt,  but  were  disappointed. 
We  were  then  satisfied  that  he  had  got  the  wind  of  us. 
On  Saturday  evening,  after  I  had  written  to  you,  one 
or  two  of  the  officers  went  in  an  adjoining  house  to 
the  factory,  and  endeavored  to  see  inside  of  the  fac- 
tory, and  there  discovered  a  boy  answering  fully  the 
description  of  Lewis.  On  Monday  morning,  after  we 
had  failed  in  our  endeavor  to  arrest  him,  having  re- 
tired to  our  place  of  rendezvous,  one  of  the  officers 
stepped  in  with  that  morning's  paper  (the  '  Com- 
monwealth,' the  main  abolition  paper  of  the  city), 
and  there  the  matter  was  blown.    They  had  discovered 


HIS    MANNER    OF   LIFE.  47 

these  men  around  the  factory  on  Saturday  evening, 
and  ferreted  out  their  design,  and  the  fugitives  were 
immediately  put  on  the  alert ;  and  also  two  kidnappers 
and  slave-stealers  were  said  to  be  in  the  city,  and  it 
gave  them  h — 11.  We  then  had  a  consultation  with 
Spencer,  the  marshal  (Riley),  and  other  officers  em- 
ployed, and  they  advised  us  to  leave  the  city  immedi- 
ately, to  allay  suspicion.  The  marshal  said  he  was 
positively  satisfied,  by  our  adopting  that  course,  that 
he  could  soon  succeed  in  arresting  him.  He,  and  all 
concerned,  appeared  to  be  much  mortified  that  the 
thing  should  have  got  out,  and  he  swears  to  have  him 
at  all  risks.  So  we  left"  the  papers  with  such  direc- 
tions as  were  necessary,  and  are  now  in  New  York, 
and  intend  waiting  a  few  days  to  hear  from  Boston. 
All  of  the  officers  are  satisfied  that  they  will  know  the 
boy,  upon  sight,  beyond  a  doubt  —  one  of  them  cer- 
fainly  saw  him  while  we  were  in  Boston. 

"We  have  kept  all  of  our  proceedings  a  profound 
secret,  and  it  is  very  necessary  that  secrecy  should  be 
preserved  for  some  time  yet.  We  are  fully  satisfied  — 
or  at  least  I  am  —  that  the  boy  is  yet  in  Boston,  and 
in  the  house  of  this  man  Gilbert,  the  owner  of  the  fac- 
tory. He  is  quite  wealthy  (the  piano-forte  man),  and 
the  grandest  abolitionist  in  Boston.  He  will  pay 
fugitive  slaves  more  for  work  than  any  other  persons, 
and  give  them  the  privileges  of  his  private  residence, 
table,  &c. ;  has  private  watchers  employed  for  the 
better  security  of  fugitives,  &c,  &c. 

"  Keep  things  as  dark  as  possible. 
"  Yours  truly, 

"  F.  C.  Reddick." 


4S  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

We  are  glad  to  add,  as  a  supplement  to  this  letter, 
that  the  United  States  Marshal  Devens  has  proven 
himself  to  be  the  friend  of  the  slave.  Mrs.  L.  Maria 
Child,  in  a  recent  letter,  gives  him  the  credit  for  offer- 
ing to  pay  the  eighteen  hundred  dollars  required  to 
free  Thomas  Sims,  while,  as  an  officer  in  the  war,  he 
has  been  not  only  a  defender  of  the  country,  but  the 
champion  of  freedom,  and  is  now  a  firm  and  consistent 
advocate  for  negro  suffrage. 

Those  words  of  the  slave-hunter  furnish  a  beautiful 
inscription  for  Mr.  Gilbert's  monument,  and  a  fitting 
close  to  this  portion  of  his  career  in  behalf  of  freedom. 
"  He  was  the  grandest  abolitionist  in  Boston."  Grand- 
est because  his  loyalty  to  man  never  shook  or  disturbed 
his  loyalty  to  God. 

In  Scotland  they  tell  of  the  grandeur  of  Ben  Nevis," 
because  the  granite  pushes  its  way  up  through  the 
mica  schist,  while  the  porphyry  crowds  up  through 
the  granite,  and  crowns  the  summit.  That  mountain 
reminds  me  of  Timothy  Gilbert.  As  a  man,  he  was 
worthy  of  high  eulogy  ;  as  a  philanthropist,  he  has 
won  higher  praise ;  but  it  is  his  Christianity  that 
crowds  up  through  his  manhood  and  through  his 
philanthropy,  and  to-day  attracts  the  notice  of  man- 
kind. 


49 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HIS     MARRIAGE. THE      TREMONT      TEMPLE     ENTER- 
PRISE.   NATHANIEL    COLVER. 

Less  than  five  years  by  thirty  days  after  his  arrival 
in  Boston,  he  took  to  wife  Mary  Wetherbee,  who  was 
born  in  Ashburnham,  Mass.,  July  7?  1796.  Their  only 
child,  Mary  Eunice,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  June 
8,  1827,  and  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  his  partner 
in  business  and  steadfast  friend,  Major  William  H. 
Jameson. 

Miss  Wetherbee  possessed  many  remarkable  traits 
of  character.  She  was  cheerful,  and  filled  her  home 
with  sunshine.  She  was  talented,  and  exerted  a 
marked  influence  upon  the  circle  in  which  she  moved. 
She  was  benevolent  and  philanthropic  to  an  extraor- 
dinary extent.  Her  footstep  was  a  familiar  sound  as 
she  climbed  the  garret  stairways  bearing  food  or 
medicine  to  the  poor  and  sick.  She  was  a  felt  power 
in  the  church  and  in  the  community.  Her  hand  bound 
up  the  wounds  of  many  a  scarred  slave,  and  supplied 
the  wants  of  many  a  half-famished  fugitive.  The 
home  of  Timothy  Gilbert  was  for  years  the  station  of 
the  underground  railroad  in  Boston.  Men  who  were 
known  to  be  true  to  liberty,  in  Hartford  and  elsewhere, 
relate  that  the  slaves  that  passed  through  were  all 
booked  for  No.  2  Beach  Street.  Sometimes  as  many 
3 


MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

as  half  a  dozen  oi  a  night  found  shelter,  friends,  and 
comfort  beneath  that  hospitable  roof.  A  man  cannot 
keep  such  a  home  unless  the  wife  is  willing.  Mary 
Wetherbee  Gilbert  was  ever  willing,  and  the  blessings 
of  those  read\-  to  perish  came  to  her  in  rich  abundance. 

She  was  devotedly  pious,  and  shared  with  her  hus- 
band his  trials  and  his  joys,  and  labored  in  the  cause 
of  Christ  and  humanity  with  pleasure  to  herself  and 
with  profit  to  those  about  her. 

They  went  to  keeping  house  in  May,  1826.  Early 
in  1S29  he  dissolved  partnership  with  E.  R.  Currier, 
and  commenced  business  alone  in  some  lofts  now  oc- 
cupied by  John  Putnam,  but  vacated  by  John  Osborne 
in  1S29. 

The  ten  years  that  follow  were  passed  in  the  quiet 
discharge  of  duties  incident  to  the  position  he  occupied 
in  the  church  and  in  the  world.  His  relations  to  the 
church  in  Charles  Street,  though  in  the  main  pleasant, 
induced  him  to  seek  a  more  congenial  atmosphere, 
where  he  might  give  expression  to  his  anti-slavery 
opinions.  It  is  said,  that  when  he  contemplated  unit- 
ing with  Federal  Street,  there  was  a  feeling  of  opposi- 
tion on  the  part  of  some  of  the  members  because  of  his 
ultra  views.  Soon  after  his  uniting  with  the  church,  he 
filled  his  pew  with  colored  people.  No  one  objected. 
Soon  he  became  satisfied  with  the  views  of  the  church, 
and  during  his  brief  sojourn  he  pursued  a  course  that 
endeared  him  to  the  membership,  and  secured,  for  the 
free  place  of  worship  he  went  out  to  establish,  their 
sympathy  and  aid.  In  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Tre- 
mont  Street  Church,  September  3,  1852,  he  alludes 
to  the  supposition  that  it  was  his  devotion  to  the  anti- 


TREMONT  TEMPLE  ENTERPRISE. 


51 


slavery  reform  which  led  him  to  take  his  stand,  and 
says,  "  I  came  out  from  another  church  to  aid  in  the 
formation  of  a  free  Baptist  Church  in  Boston,  not  from 
any  ill  feeling  towards  those  I  left,  nor  wholly  from  a 
desire  to  carry  out  what  I  believed,  and  still  believe,  to 
be  the  principles  of  the  Bible  regarding  slavery,  in- 
temperance, and  other  evils  in  the  church  of  Christ ; 
but  my  ultimate  object,  and  without  which  I  should 
not  have  been  likely  to  have  undertaken  the  enterprise, 
was  to  open  in  the  city  a  centrally  located  house  of 
worship,  with  free  seats,  on  some  self-supporting  plan, 
where  all,  whatever  might  be  their  condition  or  cir- 
cumstances in  life,  might  have  an  opportunity  to  hear 
the  gospel  and  enjoy  the  means  of  grace." 

It  was  not  then  for  political  reasons,  or  even  for  the 
purpose  of  promoting  any  special  reform,  that  he  came 
out  to  enter  upon  this  work.  Boston  churches  were 
crowded.  The  pulpit  was  alive  to  the  questions  of  the 
hour,  and  many  of  the  churches  were  enjoying  precious 
revivals. 

Then,  as  now,  a  vast  multitude  were  unreached.  It 
was  difficult  to  obtain  sittings  for  strangers,  and 
especially  for  the  poor,  in  the  houses  of  God.  He 
longed  to  see  the  rich  and  poor  meet  together  on  a 
common  level  in  the  sanctuary,  and  so  he  con- 
ceived of  the  plan,  which,  if  carried  out,  would  make 
such  a  place  largely  self-sustaining.  Hence  he  said, 
"  I  did  this,  having  in  view  the  fact  that  several  other 
unsuccessful  attempts  had  been  made  in  New  York 
and  Boston. 

"  That  fact,  probably  more  than  any  other,  led  me, 
in  order  to  prevent  a  failure,'  and  have  any  reasonable 


J2  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

hope  of  success,  to  seek  for  a  place  where  the  income 
of  the  property  would  in  part,  if  not  altogether,  pay 
for  itself —  meet  the  current  expenses  of  keeping  the 
same  in  repair,  support  preaching  so  far  as  it  was  safe 
to  do  so.  secure  an  active  and  efficient  church,  and  in 
the  end,  if  possible*  have  something  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  the  poor,  of  which  such  a  church  and  con- 
gregation would  be  likely  chiefly  to  consist."  This 
he  declares  to  have  been  his  original  purpose,  and  to 
have  stated  it  to  individuals  and  to  the  church  without 
provoking  any  objections.  With  this  object  in  view 
his  mind  was  directed  to  the  estate  on  which  the 
Boston  Museum  now  stands,  and  also  to  another  site 
at  the  corner  of  Court  and  Sudbury  Streets,  both  for 
sale.  It  was  his  custom  —  so  he  relates  —  frequently  to 
go  out  at  night  in  the  hope  of  resting  a  weary  brain 
and  giving  loose  rein  to  his  desires  and  longings  for  a 
free  house  of  worship  into  which  he  might  welcome 
the  poor.  At  these  times  he  would  take  long  walks 
through  the  deserted  streets.  On  one  of  these  oc- 
casions, while  oppressed  and  burdened  with  the  con- 
dition of  the  young  mechanics  and  apprentices,  and 
also  of  the  great  crowd  of  strangers  without  a  Sabbath 
home,  he  was  walking  down  School  Street,  having  just 
passed  Tremont  Theatre,  when,  suddenly  impressed 
with  the  mission  of  such  an  establishment  as  the 
charter  of  Tremont  Temple  contemplates,  he  stopped, 
and  retraced  his  steps,  and  stood  in  front  of  the  old 
theatre.  It  was  the  noon  of  night.  The  bells  were 
striking.  The  streets  were  silent.  He  bared  his  head 
and  took  his  vow,  offering  a  prayer  for  guidance. 
Immediately  he  took  steps  to  ascertain  what  was 


TREMONT    TEMPLE    ENTERPRISE.  53 

required  to  make  the  purchase.  To  his  surprise  he 
found  that  for  twelve  thousand  five  hundred  feet  of 
land  in  the  heart  of  Boston,  covered  by  a  building, 
substantially  built,  with  a  marble  front  and  solid 
brick  walls,  the  small  sum  of  fifty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars would  suffice  to  secure  the  property.  He  re- 
garded the  fact  that  capitalists  should  have  failed  to 
take  it  as  a  remarkable  providence  in  his  favor. 
Though  the  church  was  feeble  in  pecuniary  strength, 
so  that  by  many  it  was  thought  presumptuous  to  make 
the  attempt,  though  many  of  the  newspapers  intimated 
that  we  should  fail  after  the  work  was  begun,  which, 
considering  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  and  our 
real  strength,  was  not  surprising ;  yet  the  Lord  was 
on  our  side,  and  by  his  signal  interpositions  turned 
back  the  shafts  of  our  enemies,  and  in  several  instances 
caused  that  which  was  intended  to  embarrass  us  to  turn 
out  for  the  advancement  of  the  object.  In  this  way, 
and  not  by  our  skill,  or  wisdom,  or  strength,  the  work 
was  accomplished.  It  was  the  Lord's  work,  and  it  is 
marvellous  in  our  eyes.  There  is  a  secret  history 
which  deserves  to  be  uncovered.  Few  know  into 
what  straits  and  difficulties  he  was  led  by  this  un- 
dertaking. He  records  the  fact  that  it  -Was  only  by 
divine  favor  almost  miraculously  manifested,  that  the 
property  now  known  as  the  Tremont  Temple  estate,  is 
prospectively  secured  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

The  following  letter  serves  to  throw  light  upon  this 
portion  of  history  :  — 

Washington,  D.  C,  October  1,  1865. 

Dear  Bro.  Fulton  :    My  first  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Gilbert  was  in  1840,  when  the  First  Baptist  Free 


J4  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

church  (as  it  was  then  called)  worshipped  in  Julian 
Hall,  at  the  corner  of  Milk  and  Congress  Streets, 
Boston.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  one  of  the  original  members 
o\  the  church,  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  its  welfare 
and  success.  He  was  fully  impressed  with  the  im- 
portance of  there  being  at  least  one  place  of  worship 
in  Boston  with  free  seats,  where  all  persons,  whether 
rich  or  poor,  without  distinction  of  color  or  condition, 
could  take  a  seat  where  they  pleased,  and  have  the 
gospel  preached  to  them  in  its  purity.  He  felt  that 
such  a  place  was  needed  in  Boston,  especially  for  the 
large  class  of  floating  population  of  young  persons, 
male  and  female,  who  were  not  regular  attendants  at 
any  church,  but  who  might  be  induced  to  attend  if  the 
seats  were  free.  To  the  accomplishment  of  this  object 
he  devoted  much  of  his  time,  and  of  the  means  which 
his  success  in  business  had  enabled  him  to  accumulate, 
recognizing,  as  he  always  did,  that  plain  principle  of 
Christian  duty  (too  often  practically  denied  by  many 
professed  Christians),  that  all  the  property  God,  in  his 
providence,  places  in  our  hands,'  is  to  be  used  as  his, 
and  not  as  our  own ;  and  that,  as  his  stewards,  we  are 
accountable  to  him  for  the  use  of  our  time,  and  the 
means  committed  to  our  care. 

Soon  after  the  removal  of  our  place  of  worship  from 
Milk  Street  to  the  corner  of  Tremont  and  Bromfield 
Streets,  Mr.  Gilbert  became  deeply  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  securing  an  eligible  lot  of  land  upon 
which  to  erect  a  large  audience-room,  capable  of  seat- 
ing the  thousands  who  were  wandering  around  the 
streets  and  the  Common  on  the  Sabbath,  but  few  of 
whom  could  be  seated  in  the  small  hall  occupied  by 
us,  and  which  was  crowded  to  excess. 


TREMONT    TEMPLE    ENTERPRISE.  55 

At  this  time  I  was  his  confidential  clerk,  and  a 
member  of  the  same  church  with  him,  and  had,  per- 
haps, a  better  opportunity  than  any  one  else  of  know- 
ing his  anxiety  on  the  subject,  and  the  immense  amount 
of  thought  and  labor  which  he  prayerfully  devoted  to 
the  accomplishment  of  the  object  which  he  believed 
God  required  should  be  accomplished. 

Among  other  sites  examined  was  the  one  now  oc- 
cupied by  Kimball's  Museum,  on  Tremont  Street.  The 
property  was  then  owned  by  Hon.  John  C.  Gray. 
After  Mr.  Gilbert  had  personally  surveyed  the  land 
himself,  and  ascertained  how  large  a  hall  could  be 
built  upon  it,  he  went  into  a  careful  estimate  of  what 
an  appropriate  building  would  cost,  and  how  much 
income  might  be  obtained  from  the  stores  under  the 
hall. 

He  then  obtained  from  Mr.  Gray  his  terms  for  the 
land,  and  a  refusal  of  it  for  a  certain  length  of  time. 
He  held  frequent  consultations  with  Deacon  Simon  G. 
Shipley,  Thomas  Gould,  and  William  S.  Damrell,  all 
of  whom  were  true  friends  of  the  enterprise,  and  had 
the  fullest  confidence  in  Mr.  Gilbert's  judgment  and 
purity  of  motives,  and  were  always  ready  to  aid  him 
to  the  extent  of  their  ability.  Just  as  matters  were  as- 
suming a  shape  which  seemed  to  warrant  the  purchase 
of  the  property,  other  parties  commenced  negotiating 
for  the  same,  and  Mr.  Gray  wrote  a  note  to  Mr.  Gil- 
bert, withdrawing  his  offer  to  sell  on  the  terms  he  had 
before  given.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  sadly  disappointed, 
and  endeavored  to  induce  Mr.  Gray  to  consent  to  bis 
former  terms,  but  without  success. 

About  this  time  the  owners  of  the  Tremont  Theatre 


56  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

advertised  that  building  for  sale.  Mr.  Gilbert  im- 
mediately made  a  thorough  examination  of  that  prop- 
erty, and  consulted  with  the  three  persons  I  have 
before  named,  also  with  Deacon  Samuel  Hill,  of  South 
Boston,  another  true  friend  of  the  enterprise.  Many 
a  night  have  I  spent  with  Mr.  Gilbert,  till  near  mid- 
night, making  estimates  as  to  what  it  would  cost  to  re- 
model the  building,  and  what  income  could  be  reason- 
ably expected  from  the  stores  and  lettings  of  the  halls. 

Just  at  this  time  Mr.  Gilbert  met  with  an  obstacle 
which  gave  him  considerable  anxiety.  Upon  consult- 
ing with  his  then  partner  in  business,  he  found  that, 
although  he  wished  the  object  success,  and  was  willing 
to  do  all  he  thought  reasonable  to  accomplish  it,  he 
was  fearful  that  it  would  take  so  much  of  Mr.  Gilbert's 
time,  and  of  the  means  of  the  firm,  that  it  might 
seriously  interfere  with  their  business  ;  and  therefore 
he  hesitated  to  give  his  consent.  I  well  recollect  the 
conversation  he  had  with  his  partner  on  the  subject, 
and  it  ended  by  his  saying  to  him,  "  Well,  think  and 
pray  over  the  matter  to-night,  and  let  me  know  in  the 
morning  your  decision."  In  the  morning  his  partner 
said,  "  I  cannot  see  my  way  clear  to  consent." 
"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Gilbert,  "  I  have  prayed  much  over 
the  subject,  and  think  God  requires  me  to  do  it;  and 
if  I  cannot  do  it  with  you  as  my  partner,  I  must  do  it 
without  your  being  my  partner." 

Finding  that  Mr.  Gilbert  felt  that  his  duty  to  God 
required  him  to  do  it,  his  partner  then  consented. 

Having  been  thus  relieved  by  the  consent  of  his 
partner,  what  was  his  surprise,  on  taking  up  the  morn- 
ing paper,  to  find,  among  the  items  of  news,  that  the 


TREMONT   TEMPLE    ENTERPRISE.  57 

Tremont  Theatre  had  been  sold  to  the  Massachusetts 
Charitable  Mechanics'  Association,  and  that  the  papers 
had  been  passed  the  day  before.  His  disappointment 
was  extreme,  that  after  all  his  labors  and  anxiety,  God 
had  seemed  again  to  block  his  way  to  success.  I  sug- 
gested to  him  that  possibly  the  report  in  the  papers 
might  not  be  true,  and,  at  his  request,  I  went  im- 
mediately to  see  the  treasurer  of  the  Theatre  Corpora- 
tion, who  informed  me  that  a  bargain  had  been  made 
with  the  Mechanics'  Association,  and  he  had  considered 
it  settled,  but  that  the  previous  afternoon,  when  he 
met  the  representatives  of  the  Association  to  pass  the 
papers,  he  found  there  was  a  misunderstanding,  the 
Mechanics'  Association  claiming  that  the  chandeliers 
and  gas-fixtures  were  to  be  included  in  the  purchase, 
while  the  Theatre  Corporation  insisted  that  they  were 
not  to  be  included,  and  that  this  small  matter  only  had 
prevented  the  consummation  of  the  sale.  He  said  he 
had  no  doubt  the  Association  would,  upon  reflection, 
yield  their  claim  to  the  gas-fixtures,  but  that  he  was 
?iow  at  liberty  to  make  the  sale  to  any  one  else. 

I  returned  at  once,  and  informed  Mr.  Gilbert,  and 
we  immediately  went  with  Messrs.  Shipley,  Gould, 
Damrell,  and,  I  think,  Deacon  Clement  Drew,  and 
had  the  papers  drawn  up  and  signed,  made  the  re- 
quired payment,  and  consummated  the  purchase  that 
day. 

About  this  time  I  became  a  partner  in  business  with 
Mr.  Gilbert  and  Mr.  Safford,  and  Mr.  Gilbert  devoted 
nearly  his  whole  time  to  superintending  the  remodel- 
ling of  the  building.  For  nearly  a  year  his  mind  was 
engrossed   and  his  time  spent  at  the  building ;    and 

3* 


58  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

again,  when  the  old  Tremont  Temple  was  destroyed, 
he  devoted  all  his  time,  and  the  entire  credit  of  the 
firm,  in  rebuilding  the  present  structure,  performing 
an  amount  of  labor,  and  assuming  pecuniary  respon- 
sibilities, known  to  but  few  at  the  time. 

I  have  thus  hastily  and  briefly  stated  a  few  facts, 
which  I  thought,  perhaps,  may  not  have  come  to 
your  notice. 

His  other  services  in  the  church,  and  his  successful 
efforts  to  prevent  the  Temple  from  being  sold  out  of 
the  control  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  are,  no  doubt, 
well  known  to  you. 

Thank  God,  he  lived  to  see  two  objects  accom- 
plished, for  which  he  had  long  labored  and  prayed, 
viz.,  our  beloved  country  redeemed  from  the  curse  of 
slavery,  and  the  Tremont  Temple  enterprise  a  perma- 
nent success. 

Yours,  truly, 

Wm.  H.  Jameson. 

Mr.  G.'s  consecration  to  Christ  was  only  equalled  by 
his  reliance  upon  Christ.  Frequently,  when  his  way 
was  hedged  up  and  he  could  see  no  hope  of  deliverance, 
when  he  wanted  money  to  meet  his  obligations  and 
keep  the  Temple  from  interfering  with  his  legitimate 
business,  with  a  faith  second  neither  to  that  which 
characterized  Elijah  when  he  prayed  for  fire  to  de- 
scend from  heaven,  nor  that  which  distinguished  Muller 
when  he  spread  out  the  wants  of  his  orphans,  he  has 
been  known  to  shut  himself  up  in  his  room,  and  ab- 
stain from  food,  from  society,  from  family,  and  from 
business,  that  he  might  uncover  the   interests  of  the 


TREMONT    TEMPLE    ENTERPRISE.  59 

cause  of  Christ,  spread  them  out  before  God,  and  ciy 
for  help.  When  he  gained  the  assurance  of  victory 
he  would  descend  with  a  smile  from  his  mount  of 
prayer,  and  was  never  known  to  be  disappointed  in 
results.  It  is  a  fact  that  burdens  steady  the  lone 
column.  Is  it  not  possible  that  these  trials,  coming 
in  the  midst  of  anti-slavery  excitements,  held  him  as 
with  hooks  of  steel  to  the  cause  espoused  and  to  the 
church?  "  I  am  sure,"  said  he,  "  that  no  one  who  has 
gone  to  God  as  I  have,  and  received  such  manifest 
tokens  of  the  divine  favor,  would  now  dare  abandon 
the  undertaking  that  had  been  so  signally  favored, 
while  there  was  any  reasonable  prospect  left  that  it 
could  be  carried  through.  I  could,  with  as  little  com- 
punctions of  conscience,  set  my  face  against  the  church 
of  Christ,  and  advocate  infidelity,  as  to  turn  against 
the  enterprise  in  which  I  had  so  manifestly  seen  God's 
favor."  He  was  then  in  the  prime  of  a  healthy  man- 
hood, had  enough  of  persistency  and  stick-to-ative- 
ness  about  him  to  follow  up  his  convictions,  and  so 
the  conception  which  dropped  into  his  mind  as  a 
thought  from  God,  grew  until  he  came  to  believe  in 
the  possibility  of  furnishing,  in  the  centre  of  Boston,  a 
place  of  worship  free  and  accessible  to  all,  which 
might  win  the  present  beautiful  appellation  of  "  The 
Stranger's  Sabbath  Home."  The  plan  was  simple 
and  unique.  It  was  no  other  than  to  take  a  building 
of  sufficient  capacity,  fit  it  up  for  stores  and  offices, 
the  rent  of  which  should  provide  for  current  expenses 
and  repairs,  and  at  the  same  time,  when  the  debt  was 
removed,  furnish  a  mission  fund  to  be  used  in  pro- 
viding for  the  destitute  at  home  and  abroad. 


60  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

The  Tremont  Street  Church  was  formed  of  eighty- 
two  members,  April  iS,  1S39,  anc^  f°r  twelve  years 
was  served  by  Nathaniel  Colver  as  pastor.  The  num- 
ber added  by  baptism  and  letter  during  the  year  1840 
was  ninety  ;  in  1841,  thirty  ;  in  1842,  one  hundred  and 
twenty- six. 

The  retrospect  from  this  point  is  delightful.  When 
the  project  was  started,  and  the  foundations  of  this 
enterprise  were  laid,  the  cause  of  Christ,  in  Boston,  was 
going  on  from  conquest  to  conquest.  Baldwin  Place 
Church  was  crowded  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Baron 
Stow,  D.  D.  Rollin  H.  Neale,  a  young  man,  began  his 
ministry  in  1837,  an(^  m  J^3^  there  was  not  a  seat  to 
be  found  in  that  thronged  sanctuary  where  waiting 
crowds  hung  spell-bound,  and  listened  with  delight 
to  an  oratory  which  then  as  now  glows  with  the  love 
of  Christ.  Charles  Street  was  at  court  end,  crowded 
with  the  hundreds  who  admired  the  courtly  Daniel 
Sharp,  whose  praise  is  yet  in  all  the  churches,  while 
the  Hall  in  Boylston  Street  in  which  Robert  Turn- 
bull  preached,  and  the  house  in  Federal  Street  in 
which  the  eloquent  Howard  Malcom  had  minis- 
tered, waited  with  a  splendid  congregation  to  welcome 
a  worthy  successor,  which  they  found  in  William 
Hague.  Then  it  was  Nathaniel  Colver  came.  He 
was  fresh  from  the  country.  He  was  impulsive,  bold, 
eloquent,  thoroughly  honest,  somewhat  eccentric.  He 
was  a  power  because  he  was  a  man  of  God.  He 
swayed  a  mighty  influence.  Born  in  Orwel,  Ver- 
mont, May  10,  1794,  the  son  of  a  minister  of  Christ, 
who  was  noted  as  a  self-made  man,  strong  and  lucid 
in  the  exhibition  of  truth,  attributing  his  conversion 


TREMONT    TEMPLE   ENTERPRISE.  OI 

to  the  accumulating  power  of  God's  word,  long  and 
intense  thought,  attended  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;  from 
a  child  accustomed  to  strong  religious  impressions, 
the  result  of  a  pious  mother's  influence,  when  the 
Spirit  of  God  wrought  his  work  in  his  heart,  there 
was  a  change  produced.  He  loved  to  describe  it. 
He  had  been  to  an  evening  meeting.  He  was  on 
his  way  home.  His  burden  was  too  heavy  for  him  to 
bear.  He  went  into  the  woods,  and  there,  like  Jacob 
by  the  brook,  wrestled  for  deliverance.  It  came  at 
the  break  of  day,  and  he  arose  a  new  man  in  Christ 
Jesus.  When  he  came  to  Boston,  parties  were  ran- 
ging for  a  desperate  conflict.  Possessed  of  a  clear  and 
logical  mind,  endowed  with  a  lively  imagination,  with 
great  powers  of  argumentation,  a  ready  debater,  per- 
fectly fearless  in  the  enunciation  of  truth,  — he  took  at 
once  a  foremost  position,  and  became  a  champion  of 
the  oppressed,  and  a  leading  advocate  of  Temperance 
and  of  Reform. 

Two  letters  addressed  to  "  Dear  brother  Gilbert," 
dated  April  10,  and  May  10,  1839,  reveal  the  heart  of 
the  man,  his  attachment  to  his  flock  in  Greenwich, 
N.  Y.,  and  at  the  same  time  his  fondness  for  the 
work  in  Boston.  He  was  "  bound  in  the  spirit." 
He  asks  the  church  to  meet  him  at  the  throne  of  grace 
at  half  past  nine  o'clock  each  evening.  "I  feel  as  if  it 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  me  to  stand  up  in  one  of  your 
little  parlor  meetings  and  preach  from  the  text, 
'  What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  any  other  beloved,' 
or  from  David's  words,  c  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but 
thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside 
thee.' 


6l  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

1  What  wondrous  grace  in  Jesus  reigns 
To  love  and  cleanse  us  from  our  stains, 
That  with  his  own  best  robe  adorns, 
And  puts  a  comeliness  on  worms !  ' 

"  I  love  David  and  Solomon  because  they  spoke  so 
well  of  my  God.  I  admire  that  a  religion  so  old  as 
to  have  been  their  companion,  can  be  so  fresh  and 
new  as  it  appears  to  me  to-night.  David's  offering 
was  a  broken  heart.  The  fires  of  divine  love  con- 
sumed it  upon  the  altar.  O  Lord,  help  me  to  lay  my 
heart,  all  broken,  upon  the  same  altar,  and  let  the  same 
fire  come  down  from  heaven  and  embrace  it." 

Breathing  this  spirit  of  consecration  to  the  service 
of  Christ,  he  came  to  Boston  and  was  installed  as 
pastor  of  the  First  Free  Church,  afterwards  known  as 
the  Tremont  Street  Church,  and  now  by  the  union  of 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Merrimac  Street  with  the  Tre- 
mont Street  Baptist  Church,  the  Union  Temple  Baptist 
Church,  on  September  15,  1839,  m  *ne  First  Baptist 
Church.  For  three  months  the  church  met  in  Tre- 
mont Row,  one  year  in  Congress  Hall,  and  afterwards 
until  the  completion  of  the  Temple,  in  a  Hall  under 
the  Museum  building,  corner  of  Tremont  and  Brom- 
field  Streets. 

In  Nathaniel  Colver,  Deacon  Gilbert  found  his  coun- 
terpart. They  were  unlike  in  many  particulars,  but 
were  admirably  adapted  to  work  together.  Mr.  Gil- 
bert was  extremely  anxious  that  his  pastor  should  be 
stripped  of  all  infirmities,  that,  fetterless  and  free,  he 
might  pursue  his  work  for  God  and  souls. 

The  story  of  Mr.  C.  being  cured  from  the  use  of 
tobacco  deserves  mention.     When  he  came  to  Boston 


TREMONT    TEMPLE    ENTERPRISE.  63 

he  was  an  inveterate  user  of  the  weed.  It  grieved 
and  tried  Deacon  Gilbert.  We  have  noticed  the  dea- 
con's adherence  to  a  principle,  and  the  means  he  used 
to  press  his  point.  One  day  he  gave  his  pastor  a 
five-dollar  bill,  and  told  him  to  hand  it  back  when  he 
recommenced  the  use  of  the  narcotic.  By  some  strange 
mishap  Mr.  Colver  lost  the  bill.  Then  came  back  the 
desire  to  smoke  with  increased  strength.  Mr.  C. 
took  another  bill,  and  carried  it  to  the  deacon,  lay- 
ing it  down,  and  saying,  "  I  have  concluded  to  resume 
the  use  of  tobacco."  Those  who  are  familiar  with  the 
deacon  will  recall  with  what  moderation  he  would  turn 
around,  take  up  the  bill,  and  express  his  sorrow. 
While  looking  at  the  money  his  black  eye  flashed.  A 
thought  illumined  his  face.  He  perceived  that  his 
pastor  was  in  his  power,  and  that  he  was  master  of 
the  situation.  Quietly  and  calmly  he  remarked,  hand- 
ing it  back,  "This  is  not  the  bill  I  gave  you,  and 
before  you  can  smoke  with  my  consent  you  must  re- 
turn that  one."  "  But  I  have  lost  it,"  exclaimed  the 
pastor.  "  Can't  help  it,"  replied  the  deacon.  Two 
determined  men  met  and  stood  face  to  face.  Timothy 
Gilbert,  in  such  a  cause,  was  immovable.  The  search 
was  renewed  and  prosecuted  for  a  time,  but  at  last 
principle  came  to  his  aid,  and  the  mastery  was  gained, 
and  Mr.  Colver  became  a  strong  anti-tobacco  advo- 
cate. 

Mr.  Gilbert  would  not  allow  the  use  of  tobacco  in  his 
house  without  making  it  unpleasant  for  those  who 
indulged  in  the  degrading  practice,  and  he  exerted  a 
strong  influence  towards  weeding  out  this  cursed  poison 
from  the  ranks  of  the  ministry,  as  many  others  can  bear 


64  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

witness  besides  the  first  pastor  of  the  Tremont  Street 
Church. 

As  has  been  intimated,  the  church  were  accustomed 
to  gather  for  prayer  in  Mr.  Gilbert's  parlors,  where 
the  poorest  was  welcomed  as  well  as  those  capacitated 
to  share  his  burdens.  That  little  company  has  been 
thinned  by  death  ;  yet  a  few  remain  who  remember 
those  seasons  of  refreshing  from  on  high,  and  each 
and  all  speak  of  the  happiness  of  him  who  placed  his 
talents,  property,  and  time  upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice. 
The  close  and  pungent  preaching  of  the  pastor  de- 
lighted and  fed  him.  The  cry,  "  I  am  wounded," 
which  frequently  greeted  their  ears  as  some  lost  soul 
sought  Christ,  was  to  him  like  the  song  of  the  turtle 
and  the  singing  of  birds-*- the  precursor  of  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord.  He  carried  his  principles  into  his 
business  and  into  his  pleasures.  He  was  not  a  com- 
panionable man.  He  was  full  of  energy  and  push, 
and  made  the  indolent  uneasy  in  his  presence,  and  by 
his  life  and  speech  evidenced  very  little  respect  for 
those  who  desired  rest.  His  wife  shared  his  sympathy, 
and  had  wonderful  control  over  his  restless  spirit. 
She  was  a  helpmeet  indeed.  Here  is  a  glimpse  of  a 
meeting  sketched  by  her  hand  in  a  letter  dated  May  5, 
1840:  "  Beloved  Husband  :  I  have  just  received 
your  kind  and  affectionate  letter.  Although  I  have 
since  heard  from  you,  through  Mr.  SafYord,  yet  to 
receive  a  letter  from  you  is  very  grateful  to  my  feel- 
ings. Every  word  is  like  apples  of  gold  in  pictures 
of  silver.  I  expect  you  would  like  to  hear  from  the 
church,  and  so  I  will  give  you  an  account  of  the  Fri- 
day evening  meeting.     Five  candidates  related  their 


TREMONT    TEMPLE    ENTERPRISE.  65 

experience.  For  that  reason  there  was  not  time  for  a 
covenant  meeting.  Sabbath  day,  Mr.  Colver  baptized 
at  South  Boston.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Colver  gave 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  about  thirty.  We  had 
a  very  precious  season.  Surely  the  Lord  is  good  to 
us;  let  his  praise  be  ever  upon  our  lips."  On  the 
same  sheet  is  a  note,  written  by  his  daughter,  which 
shows  the  child's  heart,  and  indicates  the  child's  love 
and  confidence.  "  Dear  Father  :  I  received  your  kind 
letter  this  afternoon,  and  read  it  with  interest.  I  wish 
I  could  love  the  Saviour  as  well  as  I  do  you ;  but  I 
can't  feel  as  I  ought.  If  I  try  to  think  about  anything 
serious,  my  thoughts  will  wander  to  something  else, 
and  I  can't  keep  my  mind  on  it.  -I  wish  you  would 
pray  for  me,  that  my  thoughts  may  be  kept  upon  the 
Saviour.  I  want  to  see  you  very  much,  indeed  ;  it  seems 
as  though  you  had  been  gone  a  month.  Please  write 
me  another  letter  before  you  come  home,  if  it  is  con- 
venient." How  truthfully  such  letters  mirror  the 
home  life  of  a  man  !  Two  days  later  the  wife  writes, 
"  The  time  seems  very  long  since  you  left,  but  I  hope 
to  see  you  now  soon.  I  should  like  to  hear  of  your 
prosperity,  but  I  hope  neither  of  us  will  be  over- 
anxious about  temporal  concerns.  If  our  souls  pros- 
per, and  are  in  health,  we  shall  be  happy,  whether  in 
prosperity  or  adversity.  In  your  letter  you  mentioned 
that  you  thought  of  the  church  in  the  hour  of  prayer. 
I  can  assure  you,  you  are  not  forgotten  by  them.  At 
the  close  of  the  meeting,  all  ask  when  I  expect  you 
home,  and  exclaim,  4  How  we  miss  him  ! '  And  Mr. 
Colver  said,  last  evening,  '  It  made  a  big  hole  in  Bos- 
ton to  have  you  gone.'     I  hope  we  shall  not  think  too 


66  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

much  of  the  creature,  and  forget  the  Creator  —  the 
:  fountain  from  whence  all  our  blessings  flow.  It 
-  me  pleasure  to  learn  of  your  access  to  the  throne 
of  grace.  It  must  be  very  sweet,  after  the  toils  of  the 
day.  to  retire  alone,  and  commune  with  your  heavenly 
Father  ;  to  feel  that  we  have  a  Saviour,  that  careth  for 
us.  on  whom  we  can  roll  all  our  cares,  and  tell  him 
every  joy  and  every  sorrow  ;  one  who  has  said,  not  a 
hair  of  your  head  shall  fall  to  the  ground  without  his 
notice.  May  our  love  for  the  precious  Saviour  in- 
crease every  day.  until  our  hearts  are  filled  with  his 
love,  and  we  can  tread  the  world  beneath  our  feet." 
The  thirteen-year-old  daughter  adds,  in  her  usual 
place,  ;;  Dear  Father  :  I  want  to  see  you  very  much. 
and  give  you  a  kiss."  This  letter  also  furnishes  the 
intimation,  that  Mr.  Colver  is  going  to  London,  to 
attend  the  great  convention,  and  reveals  the  way  the 
money  was  raised,  when  Sewing  Societies  and  Eman- 
cipation Societies  united  in  sending  their  fearless  rep- 
resentative to  the  world's  great  mart,  to  vindicate  the 
cause  of  oppressed  humanity. 


67 


CHAPTER   V. 

REV.  JACOB  KNAPP THE  BAPTIST   CAUSE  IN  BOSTON 

IN    184O. THE  CHARACTER    OF   THE    EVANGELIST, 

AND    HIS    WORK    IN    NEW    BEDFORD,     PROVIDENCE, 

AND  BOSTON. LETTER  FROM  MR.  KNAPP,  SHOWING 

THE  PART  BORNE  IN  THE  WORK  BY  MR.  GILBERT. 

In  1840  the  Bowdoin  Square  Church  was  formed, 
with  one  hundred  and  forty  members,  and  with  the 
erudite  and  scholarly  Robert  W.  Cushman  for  pastor. 
The  churches  of  Boston  at  that  time  were  largely  led 
by  young  men  with  whose  names  fame  has  long  been 
familiar.  In  the  pulpit  of  the  First  Church  was 
Rollin  H.  Neale ;  Baron  Stow  ministered  in  Baldwin 
Place,  William  Hague  in  Federal  Street,  Daniel  Sharp 
in  Charles  Street,  Robert  Turnbull  in  Boylston  Street, 
and  Nathaniel  Colver  in  Tremont  Street.  Dr.  Neale 
had  been  but  a  few  years  out  of  the  seminary,  and 
was  noted  even  then  for  his  eloquence  and  power. 
The  church  in  Baldwin  Place  was  thronged,  and  the 
ardent  and  impulsive  Stow  thrilled  the  hearts  of 
waiting  multitudes.  William  Hague  was  in  the  midst 
of  a  powerful  work  in  Federal  Street.  Then,  as  now, 
he  was  planning  large  things  for  the  cause  of  his  Mas- 
ter, and  reaped  with  no  sparing  hand.  At  this  period, 
so  opportune  for  the  churches,  the  cloud  appeared  over 
New  Bedford,  and  the  sound  of  an  abundance  of  rain 


MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

heard  in  various  r.  f  Xew  England.     On 

the  5  th  day  of  June,  Rev.  Jacob  Knapp  unfurled  in 
Xew  Bedford  the  banner  of  the  cross,  in  f  the 

ship-mas;.  sailors  of  that  city  by  the  sea.     Rev. 

Henry  Jackson,  pastor  hurch.  in  a  letter  to  the 

Taunton  Association,  says.  *•  For  seven  weeks,  in  the 
midsummer  months,  the  people  met  him  in  the  house 
of  God  thrice  daily,  except  when  detained  by  ill 
health."  Days  of  fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayer 
were  observed.  Incessant  and  importunate  prayer 
continually  ascended  to  God.  A  few  persons  indulged 
a  hope,  but  the  great  mass  of  the  unconverted  were 
unaffected.  The  church  was  confident  that  so  much 
prayer  could  not  be  lost.  They  held  to  the  promises 
of  God's  word,  and  pleaded  for  the  honor  of  Jehovah. 
the  reputation  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  the  value  of 
souls,  that  God  would  not  withhold  his  Spirit.  Many 
obstacles  existed.  The  heat  of  the  weather,  the  pres- 
-ar:  :f  aasiitess.  the  shortness  of  the  evenings,  and. 
a":  :ve  ah.  the  infidelity  of  the  people,  and  the  unbe- 
lief of  Christians,  seemed  for  a  season  to  baffle  everv 
effort.  At  last  the  Spirit  came  down  with  mighty- 
power,  and  hundreds  crowded  the  rooms  of  prayer. 
deeply  in  earnest  to  know  what  they  must  do  to  be 
saved.  The  endre  choir  were  converted.  Baptismal 
scenes  were  indescribably  solemn  when  evangelist  and 
pastor  buried  willing  disciples  at  the  same  time  in  the 
likeness  of  Christ.  About  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
were  hopefully  converted  to  God.  This  meeting  in- 
troduced Jacob  Knapp  to  Xew  England. 

He  was  then  forty-two  years  of  age.     He  possessed 
transcendent  abilities  as  an  orator.     He  was  Christ's 


MR.    KNAPP's    BIRTH   AND    LIFE.  69 

lieutenant,  and  knew  how  to  get  his  Captain's  com- 
panies into  line,  and  prepare  them  for  action.  He 
believed  in  a  personal  God  and  in  a  personal  devil. 
Like  Luther,  he  was  a  man  of  faith  and  a  man  of  war. 
Born  in  Otsego,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  December  7, 
1799,  the  son  of  a  farmer,  his  parents  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  he  was  early  indoctrinated  into  the 
forms.  When  converted  to  God,  he  was  led  not  by  a 
minister  or  a  church,  but  by  the  Spirit  and  word  of 
God,  to  be  a  Baptist.  He  was  immersed  by  Rev. 
Daniel  Robertson,  in  Masonville,  Delaware  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  1819.  He  entered  the  literary  and  theologi- 
cal institution  of  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  in  1822,  and  grad- 
uated in  1825.  For  eight  years  he  preached  as  a 
pastor,  after  which  he  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of 
an  evangelist.  Of  him,  as  a  man  of  God,  there  have 
been,  and  will  be,  a  diversity  of  views.  He  was  bold, 
uncompromising,  and  determined.  His  preaching 
would  please  those  who  wanted  the  devil's  kingdom 
stirred  up,  while  it  would  displease  those  who  longed 
for  peace  and  quiet.  Of  his  general  character  there 
was  but  one  opinion ;  but  of  the  measures  he  em- 
ployed, and  the  course  he  pursued,  in  these  meetings, 
various  and  conflicting  opinions  were  entertained. 
Fear  and  hope  alternately  preponderated,  until  all 
came  to  the  full  conviction  that  one  possessing  such 
pure  and  elevated  piety,  and  governed  so  generally  by 
the  motives  of  Christ,  would  not  be  suffered  widely  to 
err.  Confidence  in  him  and  his  measures  was  con- 
firmed. These  results  were  constantly  substantiated 
by  the  effects  produced  upon  the  multitudes  who 
thronged  the  house.     Men  and  women  of  established 


7<3  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

character  experienced  by  this  instrumentality  the 
power  of  the  gospel.  The  work  increased  in  interest 
and  execution,  by  the  same  means,  after  he  had  gone 
—  a  fact  demonstrating  that  God  had  owned  and  put 
his  seal  upon  them.  Anxious  seats  had  been  com- 
plained of,  and  by  the  church  hitherto  dreaded.  At 
last,  though  no  importance  was  attached  to  the  bench, 
yet  it  was  viewed  as  a  means  by  which  hundreds  have 
been  brought  to  a  decision  in  religion.  Elder  Knapp 
preached  the  gospel  in  its  simplicity  and  power.  He 
hesitated  not  to  expose  sin  in  every  form,  and  strove 
mainly  for  the  awakening  and  perfecting  of  the  saints 
and  the  conversion  of  sinners.  In  his  departure  he 
bore  abundant  proofs  of  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
the  pastor,  the  church,  and  the  community,  and  was 
commended  to  the  churches  as  one  who  had  given 
evidence  of  being  designated  by  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  to  the  work  of  an  evangelist. 

From  New  Bedford,  Mr.  Knapp  went  to  Provi- 
dence, on  the  19th  of  September,  to  the  help  of  Rev. 
John  Dowling,  D.  D.,  where  it  is  thought  over  four 
hundred  were  led  to  Christ.  It  was  while  in  Provi- 
dence that  he  was  prosecuted  for  referring  to  the  char- 
acter of  an  individual  who  had  disturbed  the  meeting. 
The  action  served  to  call  attention  to  him,  and  induced 
Dr.  Dowling  to  give  this  wholesome  advice,  which  is 
worthy  of  general  acceptance :  "Do  not  distract  his 
mind  by  telliiig  him  any  of  the  floating  gossip  with 
which  probably  your  city  will  be  filled  during  his 
stay  among  you.  Tell  him  nothing  which  you  may 
hear,  except  what  may  have  a  tendency  to  strengthen 
Ms  hands  and  encourage  his  heart  in  the  work  in 


MR.    KNAPP    IN   BOSTON.  7 1 

which  he  is  engaged?  —  I  am  convinced  that  but 
few  men  live  so  near  to  God,  and  possess  so  much 
of  all  that  is  excellent  in  the  Christian  character,  as 
brother  Knapp.  May  the  Lord  help  me  and  all  my 
ministering  brethren  to  drink  as  deep  into  the  spirit 
of  Christ,  and  hold  as  sweet  communion  with  God,  as 
that  dear  brother  !  "  Rev.  T.  C.  Jameson,  who  within 
ten  weeks  baptized  one  hundred  and  twelve  converts, 
added  his  testimony  to  the  fervor  and  power  of  this 
man  of  God.  In  Providence  there  was  determined 
opposition  to  his  efforts,  on  the  part  of  several  distin- 
guished ministers.  On  the  other  hand,  a  document, 
speaking  of  him  in  the  highest  praise,  was  signed  by 
over  three  thousand  individuals,  and  forwarded  to 
Boston,  where  an  effort  was  being  made  to  destroy  his 
influence.  On  or  about  the  ist  of  January,  1842,  he 
began  his  labors  with  the  First  Church,  Rev.  Rollin 
H.  Neale,  pastor,  and  preached  there  in  the  afternoon, 
in  the  evening  at  Baldwin  Place,  Rev.  Baron  Stow,  pas- 
tor. On  Monday,  January  9,  Mr.  Knapp  commenced 
at  Bowdoin  Square  Church,  where  he  preached  both 
afternoon  and  evening.  It  was  while  here  that  he 
met  his  fiercest  oppositions.  Mobs  gathered  about 
Bowdoin  Square  as  they  gathered  in  the  olden  time 
about  the  synagogue  in  Lystra,  and  would  have  stoned 
Jacob  Knapp,  and  have  dragged  him  through  the  city, 
as  the  Jews  persuaded  the  people  of  Lystra  to  do  unto 
the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  Never  did  chieftain  bear 
himself  more  bravely,  never  did  martyr  walk  more  in 
humble  reliance  upon  the  promises  of  a  covenant- 
keeping  God,  than  did  this  fearless  preacher.  Citi- 
zens were    stirred    by  his    appeal    and    awed   by  his 


p  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

sublime  courage.  William  Ellery  Charming  said, 
concerning  him,  "  Let  the  minister  alone  ;  a  man  who 
can  stir  Boston  like  that  will  do  good." 

Day  after  clay  the  excitement  grew  more  fierce  and 
intense.  At  length  it  was  reported  throughout  the 
city  that  Mayor  Chapman  had  said  that  the  preacher 
was  imprudent,  and  might  take  the  consequences  of 
his  own  conduct.  Immediately  Rev.  William  Hague, 
though  not  a  supporter  of  his  measures,  called  upon 
the  mayor,  and  informed  him  of  the  report,  saying 
that  the  occasion  made  its  appeal  to  every  lover 
of  religious  liberty,  and  in  such  an  emergency  he 
should  feel  it  to  be  his  duty  to  stand  beside  the 
preacher,  and  share  the  consequences.  The  mayor 
replied,  "  Sir,  the  report  is  not  true,  and  all  the  power 
I  have  at  my  command  shall  be  concentrated  at  Bow- 
doin  Square  to-night  in  defence  of  freedom  of  speech." 
The  crowds  were  dispersed. 

To  the  honor  of  the  secular  press  be  it  said  that 
with  united  voice  they  sustained  the  action  of  the 
mayor,  and  supported  the  ambassador  of  Christ 
through  the  terrible  ordeal. 

There  was  on  hesitation  on  the  part  of  his  friends. 
The  church  at  Baldwin  Place  unanimously  invited 
Mr.  Knapp  to  preach  in  their  meeting-house.  The 
tide  continued  to  flow  in,  and  indications  of  the  divine 
approval  abounded.  The  spiritual  strength  of  Mr. 
Knapp  seemed  literally  renewed.  He  fired  no  blank 
cartridges,  but  delivered  broadsides  at  close  range  into 
the  ranks  of  the  foe.  The  opposition  roused  him  and 
encouraged  him.  The  attendance  upon  theatres  waned, 
that  upon  churches  increased.     On  February  9,  1842, 


THE    WORK    GOES    ON.  73 

the  "  Reflector"  says,  "  It  is  our  privilege  to  do  some- 
thing more  than  merely  report  progress.  The  work 
has  now  attained  to  a  degree  of  prevalence  and  power 
that  renders  it  utterly  impossible  for  us  to  convey  to 
our  more  distant  readers  an  adequate  conception  of 
what  God  is  permitting  his  people  to  witness  and 
enjoy  in  Boston.  Every  day  brings  to  light  facts  and 
scenes  of  the  most  thrilling  interest.  Among  the 
converts,  which  now  amount  to  hundreds,  there  are 
persons  from  every  class  and  of  every  description  of 
moral  character — old  men  with  thin  and  silvered  locks, 
with  deeply-furrowed  cheeks,  and  voices  tremulous 
and  feeble,  who  were  long  since  given  up  by  their 
friends  as  hopeless  cases,  are,  like  little  children,  pray- 
ing and  weeping,  and  talking  of  the  infinitude  of  God's 
mercy  and  the  love  of  Christ ;  and  young  men  glowing 
with  energy  and  ambition,  strong  with  health  and 
hope,  are  proclaiming,  with  apostolic  fervor,  the 
truths  which  to  some  are  a  stumbling-block,  and  to 
others  foolishness ;  children  are  in  many  instances 
rejoicing  over  their  parents'  conversion,  and  in  many 
others,  parents  are  blessing  God  for  the  conversion  of 
their  children.  A  family  in  which  father  and  mother 
and  five  adult  children  were  converted  were  led  to 
Christ  through  the  instrumentality  of  a  single  young 
lady.  Her  importunity  led  them  to  the  meetings  ;  her 
kind  and  correct  endeavors  dissuaded  them  from  drop- 
ping the  subject  or  avoiding  the  influence  which  was 
now  creeping  over  them.  She  rested  not  till  God  and 
conscience  had  done  their  work,  and  the  souls  she 
loved  were  loved  of  Heaven. 

"  On  Tuesday  evening  of  last  week,  brother  Knapp 
4 


-.1  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

made  *  Universalism '  the  theme  of  his  discourse,  and 
for  two  hours  and  a  half  held  a  vast  and  crowded 
auditory  in  almost  breathless  silence,  while  he  tore  up 
the  foundations  of  the  system,  and  scattered  the  whole 
fabric  to  the  winds.  Never  did  we  hear  such  an  array 
ot  facts  —  authentic,  astounding,  withering  facts.  We 
thought  that  even  his  Satanic  Majesty  himself,  had  he 
appeared  there  as  a  Universalist,  must  have  quailed 
under  them,  and  hung  his  head  in  shame. " 

A  young  man,  a  member  of  Mr.  Skinner's  congre- 
gation, led  by  curiosity,  found  his  way  to  Baldwin 
Place.  Strong  in  the  faith  of  Universalism,  he  lis- 
tened with  candor,  as  one  inquiring  after  truth  ;  and 
the  result  was,  that  Mr.  Knapp  swept  away  every  ves- 
tige of  his  Universalism,  and,  to  use  his  own  language, 
"  took  away  every  shingle  and  clapboard  of  the  build- 
ing —  left  nothing  but  the  falling  rafters,  exposing  his 
naked  soul  to  the  peltings  of  the  pitiless  storm."  The 
revival  was  characterized  by  the  apparent  genuineness 
of  the  conversions.  The  converts  exhibited  a  clear 
understanding  of  the  evil  of  sin,  the  holiness  of  God's 
laws,  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith,  and  the 
necessity  of  entire  consecration  to  God  —  topics  on 
which  Mr.  Knapp  dwelt  with  great  frequency  and 
power.  Though  some  of  the  ministers  treated  Mr. 
Knapp  coolly,  the  majority  of  the  churches  were  heart 
and  soul  with  him. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  in  February,  forty-two  united 
with  the  First  Church,  fourteen  with  Bowdoin  Square, 
nineteen  with  Baldwin  Place,  and  twenty-two  with 
Tremont  Street. 

On  March  2  this  announcement  is  made  under  the 


THE    STYLE    OF    THE    PREACHER.  75 

head  of  "  Theatres  : "  "  The  friends  of  morality  and 
religion  will  rejoice  to  learn  that  the  great  theatre  of 
Boston,  the  Tremont,  is  closed,  and  that  noble  granite 
edifice  is  offered  for  sale,  and  is  likely  to  be  converted 
into  a  house  of  worship.  At  the  conclusion  of  a  late 
entertainment,  the  manager  announced  that  the  thea- 
tre would  be  closed,  and  stated  that  within  the  last 
three  months  they  had  lost  ten  thousand  dollars  by 
keeping  it  open."  The  rush  was  in  a  different  direc- 
tion. The  churches  were  thronged,  and  Mr.  Knapp 
went  from  place  to  place,  like  a  general  on  the  field 
of  battle,  giving  aid  where  needed.  A  writer  in  the 
"New  York  Evangelist"  says  of  him,  "  He  preaches 
in  his  own  style,  saying  some  things  that  are  not  in 
good  taste,  yet  no  doubt  doing  execution."  A  pro- 
fessor in  one  of  our  theological  schools  attended  upon 
his  preaching  a  whole  Sabbath  since  he  has  been 
here,  and  on  being  asked  his  opinion,  replied,  "  He  is 
a  man  of  genius  and  power,  and  though  his  preaching 
is  not  always  in  good  taste,  yet  no  thief,  or  profane 
swearer,  or  drunkard,  or  adulterer,  can  sit  and  listen 
to  him  a  great  while  without  feeling  that  the  constable 
is  after  him." 

The  work  goes  on  in  increasing  power.  New  and 
striking  cases  of  conviction  are  daily  occurring  among 
persons  of  every  faith,  and  class,  and  character ; 
wholesale  dealers  in  ardent  spirits  have  yielded  to  the 
spirit  of  God,  and  abandoned  the  cursed  traffic.  A 
large  distiller  was  found  beside  a  vender  among  the 
inquirers.  Baptisms  are  occurring  in  the  different 
churches  every  Sabbath,  and  the  work  is  spreading 
through  the  commonwealth.     March  9  the  "  Puritan" 


76  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

has  taken  sides  against  Mr.  Knapp,  and  three  eminent 
divines  of  the  straitest  sect  declare  "  the  sentiments  of 
Mr.  Knapp  are  substantially  sound,  so  far  as  they  go, 
but  his  violation  of  good  taste  is  the  great  secret  of 
his  notoriety." 

The  ''Reflector"  speaks  of  Sabbath,  March  6,  as 
furnishing  a  scene  upon  which  angels  would  look  with 
delight.  "  Picture  to  yourself  a  crowded  sanctuary, 
with  its  long  centre  aisle  occupied  from  end  to  end 
with  a  dense  double  column  of  '  new  recruits '  to  the 
army,  fighting  under  the  banners  of  our  King,  and 
then  receiving,  one  after  another,  the  significant  pledge 
of  Christian  affection,  and  passing  round,  one  to  the 
right  hand  and  another  to  the  left,  until  the  last  young 
soldier  was  greeted,  and  all  duly  enrolled  with  the 
sacramental  host  of  God's  elect.  The  work  has  been 
more  powerful  in  the  First  Church,  during  the  last 
week,  than  at  any  time  before.  It  seems  as  if  not  a 
single  soul  among  them  all  was  to  be  left  in  a  state  of 
unreconciliation  to  God.  Baptisms  reported:  First 
Church,  fifty-eight ;  Baldwin  Place,  fifty-two ;  Free 
Church,  forty ;  Bowdoin  Square,  twenty-seven ;  Fed- 
eral Street,  twenty-eight ;  Boylston  Street,  twenty- 
four  ;  Charles  Street,  six ;  Independent,  nineteen. 
Notwithstanding  these  results,  the  "  New  England 
Puritan"  ridicules  the  labors  of  Mr.  Knapp,  saying, 
"  The  operations  after  the  sermons  are  more  objec- 
tionable than  anything  in  the  sermons  themselves." 
Calling  forward  to  the  anxious  seat  is  characterized 
by  declaring  that  "  the  congregation  is  put  into  a 
rambling  state  and  some  fifteen  minutes  of  confusion." 
"  Against  such  machinery,  so  productive  of  wholesale 


CLOSING   LABORS    IN    BOSTON.  77 

delusion,  so  destructive  to  the  modesty  becoming  wo- 
men and  children,  and  so  calculated  to  lead  all  im- 
penitent men  to  the  conclusion  that  religion  is  promoted 
by  trick  and  artifice,  we  feel  bound  to  enter  our  solemn 
protest ; "  and  all  this  because  Mr.  Knapp,  at  the  con- 
clusion of  the  sermon,  was  accustomed  to  come  down 
from  the  pulpit  and  exhort  the  impenitent  to  come  to 
Christ,  and  converts  to  tell  what  God  had  done  for 
their  souls.  The  third  week  of  March  closed  his  labors 
in  Boston,  with  the  blessings  of  thousands  ready  to 
perish  resting  upon  him,  and  following  him  to  Lowell, 
his  next  field  of  labor. 

In  accordance  with  the  request  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  Boston,  he  repeated  the  Temperance  Sermon 
in  Marlboro'  Chapel,  which,  two  years  before,  in  Balti- 
more, led  to  the  reformation  of  J.  H.  W.  Hawkins, 
and  initiated  the  Washingtonian  reform.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  address,  all  who  had  signed  the  total 
abstinence  pledge,  or  were  determined  to  sign  it, 
were  asked  to  rise  ;  and  the  whole  of  that  immense 
assemblage  sprang  to  their  feet.  It  was  a  thrilling 
scene,  and  proved  the  potency  of  the  religion  of 
Christ  to  promote  a  spirit  of  reform. 

The  time  of  his  sojourn  drew  to  a  close.  In  the 
"  Reflector "  of  March  23  there  was  a  description  of 
the  closing  scenes.  "  The  mornings  of  Thursday  and 
Friday,  March  17  and  18,  were  occupied  with  meet- 
ings devoted  to  expressions  of  gratitude  for  the  distin- 
guishing mercies  of  Heaven.  These  meetings  were 
full  of  interest.  Thursday  evening  he  preached  to 
converts  in  Bowdoin  Square.  Friday  afternoon  he 
preached  to  Christians  at  Baldwin  Place  ;    and  though 


^S  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

it  was  a  week  day,  and  in  the  hurry  of  spring,  such 
was  the  enthusiasm,  that  every  standing  place  in  the 
house  was  taken,  and  multitudes  went  away.  In  the 
evening  he  preached  to  the  impenitent  at  Bowdoin 
Square,  and  the  solemn  service  was  concluded  with 
the  parting  and  farewell  of  those  parties  who  had 
lahored  with  him." 

The  preceding  statements  help  to  an  understanding 
of  the  letter  written  by  the  evangelist  after  the  lapse 
of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  "  My  first  acquaint- 
ance with  Deacon  Timothy  Gilbert  was  in  the  close 
of  1 841  and  the  beginning  of  1842.  I  boarded  in  his 
family  a  portion  of  the  three  months'  campaign  in  that 
city,  during  which  thousands  were  converted  to  God, 
and  the  Tremont  Theatre  was  wound  up  and  soon 
converted  into  a  place  of  divine  worship.  God, 
through  my  agency,  wound  up  the  theatre,  and 
through  the  agency  of  brother  Gilbert,  converted  it 
into  a  house  of  worship.  He  entered  into  the  great 
and  never-to-be-forgotten  work  of  divine  grace  with  all 
his  powers  of  body  and  mind.  For  many  days  he 
arose  in  the  morning  before  daylight,  harnessed  his 
horse  and  buggy,  and  took  me  to  South  Boston,  where 
I  found  a  crowded  house  waiting  with  profound  still- 
ness and  solemnity  to  hear  the  word  of  life  (for  the 
religious  interest  in  Boston  then  was  such  as  to  fill  any 
house  at  any  hour  of  the  night).  This  dear,  lamented 
brother  would  then  accompany  me,  at  ten  o'clock 
A.  M.,  to  the  anxious  room,  where  we  labored  with 
great  and  overwhelming  interest  for  two  hours  ;  then 
again  I  preached  at  two  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  again  at 
half  past  seven  P.  M.,  and  wound  up,  at  ten  o'clock 


LETTER    CONCERNING   DEACON    GILBERT.  79 

P.  M.,  with  a  precious  inquiry  meeting,  and  brother 
Gilbert  was  the  most  of  the  time  weeping  and  praying 
by  my  side,  ready  to  every  good  word  and  work. 

"At  one  time  he  palled  all  of  his  workmen  together 
in  his  parlor,  and  requested  me  to  address  them  upon 
the  necessity  of  securing  the  salvation  of  their  souls. 
But  I  soon  found  that  his  appeals  were  more  powerful 
than  mine.  He  told  them  that  he  did  not  consider  the 
capital  in  his  possession  his.  It  all  belonged  to  God, 
and  he  was  carrying  on  business  for  God  and  the  good 
of  the  world,  and  he  wished  them  all  to  attend  the 
meetings  and  secure  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  and 
if  any  of  them  were  in  want  of  anything,  to  call  upon 
him  and  their  wants  should  be  supplied.  All  were 
deeply  affected,  and  some  of  them  were  speedily  con- 
verted to  God. 

"  In  the  winter  of  i860,  when  laboring  in  Boston,  I 
was  made  a  welcome  inmate  of  his  family,  both  by 
himself  and  by  his  kind-hearted  wife.  At  this  time  I 
found  him  the  same  warm-hearted  Christian,  governed, 
as  formerly,  by  religious  principles,  regardless  of  pub- 
lic opinion,  only  desirous  to  know  his  Master's  will, 
and  ready  to  do  it.  At  this  time  I  baptized  his  two 
daughters,  and  we  enjoyed  many  sweet  and  heavenly 
interviews  together.  But  I  perceived  that  the  eighteen 
years  which  had  intervened  since  our  former  associa- 
tion in  the  labors  of  the  kingdom,  had  produced  a 
marked  change  in  my  old  friend,  as  was  the  case  with 
Deacon  William  Hill,  and  many  others.  The  vigor 
of  his  physical  constitution  was  diminished,  and  his 
powers  of  endurance  were  not  what  they  had  been. 
The   vast   amount  of  his   business,  the    embarrassed 


So  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

condition  of  his  finances,  and  the  great  responsibilities 
which  rested  upon  him,  seemed  too  much  for  him 
longer  to  endure,  and  I  was  not  surprised  when  the 
sad  tidings  reached  my  western  home,  that  Deacon 
Timothy  Gilbert  was  no  more.  Of  him  it  may  be 
said.  '  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  ; 
they  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow 
them.'  " 

So  much  for  the  revival.  Through  that  interesting 
period  Timothy  Gilbert  was  at  the  front.  When  mobs 
assailed  them,  he  bared  his  head  to  the  storm,  and 
gloried  in  the  reproach  of  Christ.  He  procured  an 
elegant  engraving  of  Mr.  Knapp.  He  nursed  him  as 
he  would  a  child  when  worn  down  with  fatigue. 
That  quiet  home  was  the  place  to  rest  and  recuperate. 
Other  ministers  and  evangelists  can  testify  to  the 
revivifying  influence  exerted  there.  Mr.  Gilbert  was 
fond  of  talking  about  Mr.  Knapp.  When  asked  as  to 
wdierein  lay  the  power  of  Mr.  Knapp,  he  replied  in 
his  nearness  to  God,  in  his  faith,  in  his  ability  in  the 
pulpit,  and  in  his  generalship.  It  was  Mr.  Gilbert's 
custom  to  take  down  the  texts,  and  to  give  a  brief 
sketch  of  the  sermon.  It  is  possible  to  follow  Mr. 
Knapp  through  the  three  months  by  these  memoran- 
da, to  tell  the  texts  used,  and  discover  indications  of 
the  rise  and  growth  of  the  interest.  A  description 
of  Mr.  Knapp  as  a  preacher,  and  a  report  of  one  of  his 
sermons,  are  preserved  among  his  papers.  In  this 
description  the  secret  of  the  evangelist's  power  is 
said  to  lie  in  the  narrative  nature  of  his  discourses,  and 
in  the  dramatic  dress  in  which  they  are  frequently 
clothed.     He  often  introduced  real  or  imaginary  char- 


SKETCH    OF    MR.    KNAPP  S    SERMON.  51 

acters,  acting  and  speaking  in  a  manner  appropriate  to 
each.  The  text  was  in  Acts  xiii.  40,  41  :  "  Beware, 
therefore,  lest  that  come  upon  you  which  is  spoken  of 
in  the  prophets  :  Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  wonder  and 
perish,  for  I  work  a  work  in  your  days,  a  work  which 
ye  shall  in  no  wise  believe,  though  a  man  declare  it 
unto  you."  After  some  introductory  remarks  upon  the 
danger  and  folly  of  despising  the  warnings  and  the 
operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  especially  at  the  present 
time,  when  they  are  so  remarkably  manifest,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  specify  instances  of  this  great  sin,  and  of  its 
consequences,  cited  from  the  Old  Testament.  He 
began  with  Moses  in  Egypt,  who  showed  his  divine 
commission  to  Pharaoh,  in  the  miracles  he  performed 
and  in  the  judgments  brought  upomthe  land  by  Pha- 
raoh's despising  them,  and  refusing  to  liberate  the  He- 
brews, whom  he  kept  as  slaves.  This  great  monarch, 
said  he,  beheld  and  despised,  wondered  and  perished. 
He  also  saw  the  Red  Sea  miraculously  divide  for  their 
passage,  and  he,  no  doubt,  "  wondered"  at  so  astonish- 
ing an  event ;  but  he  "  despised  and  perished  ;  "  he  and 
his  armies  were  overwhelmed  and  drowned  in  its 
waters.  The  preacher  here  introduced,  in  his  peculiar 
manner,  by  way  of  parenthesis,  the  observation  that 
Moses  was  an  abolitionist.  The  Hebrews  were  slaves 
in  Egypt,  and  he,  by  command  of  God,  undertook  to 
restore  their  freedom,  to  abolish  their  slavery,  and  to 
raise  them  to  the  rank  of  a  flourishing  and  independent 
nation.  In  this,  after  great  opposition,  difficulty,  and 
suffering,  he  finally,  under  God,  succeeded. 

He  next  alluded  to  the  destruction  of  Sodom.     Lot 
warned  the  wicked  inhabitants  of  the  consequences  of 

A   * 


^2  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

their  groat  sins.  He  finally  predicted  the  destruction 
of  the  city  and  all  the  inhabitants,  on  a  certain  day, 
by  lire  and  brimstone.  They  only  laughed  at  the  pre- 
diction. They  called  him  a  fool  and  fanatic.  The 
Universalists  gathered  around  him,  and  asked  him  if 
"  he  thought  a  kind  and  merciful  God  would  destroy 
a  whole  city,  men,  women,  and  innocent  children,  in 
so  barbarous  a  manner?  No;  they  had  a  better 
opinion  of  God.  He  was  not  such  a  cruel,  malicious, 
unmerciful  being,  delighting  in  the  misery  and  ruin  of 
the  children  he  created."  On  the  morning  of  the  ap- 
pointed day  the  sun  rose  in  all  his  beauty  and  splendor  ; 
there  was  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen  in  the  whole  heavens. 
The  air  was  pure  and  serene,  and  there  was  never  a 
fairer  prospect  of  an  uncommonly  fine  day.  "Ah," 
said  they  to  Lot,  "  what  do  you  think  of  this?  Does 
this  look  like  a  storm  of  fire  and  brimstone?  You  see 
now  what  nonsense  you  have  been  telling  us."  They 
"despised"  him  and  his  preaching.  But  by  and  by 
the  air  began  to  change,  and  became  impure,  the  sky 
was  overcast,  the  sun  was  obscured,  and  the  heavens 
gathered  blackness.  These  despisers  began  to  "  won- 
der ;  "  they  became  alarmed.  At  length  the  thunder- 
ings  and  the  lightnings  commenced,  and  torrents  of 
fire  and  brimstone  were  poured  down  upon  this  wicked 
and  devoted  city.  Every  soul  perished,  except  Lot 
and  his  family,  who  departed  in  season  to  escape. 
Thus  these  sinful  and  depraved  unbelievers  "  despised, 
and  wondered,  and  perished." 

Allusion  was  made  to  Noah  and  the  building  of  the 
ark.  He  proclaimed  the  coining  flood,  and  warned 
the  people  to  prepare  for  it.     He  set  an  example  by 


SKETCH  OF  MR.  KNAPP's  SERMON.        83 

beginning  to  build  an  ark,  and  during  the  many  years 
of  his  labor  upon  it,  he  ceased  not  to  warn  and  advise 
all  around  him.  But  they  would  not  believe  him. 
They  would,  however,  collect  together,  and  look  on, 
and  wonder,  and  despise,  and  hold  long  conversations 
together.  One  would  say,  "  Our  neighbor,  Noah,  is  a 
very  good,  kind,  well-meaning  man,  and  a  good  citizen, 
and  it  is  a  pity  he  should  be  led  away  by  such  strange 
notions/'  "  Yes,"  said  another,  "  he  means  well ;  he 
is  pious,  sincere,  and  benevolent,  and  talks  to  us,  no 
doubt,  in  good  faith  ;  but  he  has  got  a  strange  kink  in 
his  head,  and  there  is  no  getting  it  out  of  him.  I'm 
afraid  he  will  ruin  himself  in  building  this  great,  use- 
less ship."  "  So  am  I,"  said  a  third  ;  "  he  is  not  only 
honest  and  pious,  but  a  man  of  excellent  sense,  and 
very  shrewd  in  everything  but  this.  But  he  is  per- 
fectly deranged  about  this  bugbear  of  a  flood,  and 
I  am  afraid  he  will  soon  become  perfectly  insane. 
He  is  evidently  a  monomaniac,  if  nothing  worse." 
"What  a  strange,  inconsistent  notion  it  is,"  said  a 
fourth,  "  to  think  that  God,  just  as  he  has  got  his  new 
world  well  peopled,  after  so  many  years,  will  now 
destroy  all  he  has  done,  render  all  his  labor  useless, 
and  be  obliged  to  begin  again.  No  ;  God  understands, 
and  contrives,  and  foresees,  better  than  all  this." 
"Yes,"  said  a  fifth,  "our  neighbor  is,  in  the  main,  a 
very  good  kind  of  a  man,  and  I  pity  him.  But  I  am 
afraid  that,  by  this  absurd  fanaticism,  he  will  not  only 
injure  himself,  but  that  he  will  make  hundreds  of 
others  equally  insane,  rendering  them  unhappy  in 
themselves,  and  useless,  if  not  burdensome,  to  their 
families,  and  to  the  community.     I  think  it  might  be 


S4  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Well  to  collect  a  mob  in  the  night,  set  fire  to  his  use- 
less ark.  and  drive  him  away  from  this  part  of  the 
country. "  Thus  they  beheld,  and  despised,  and  won- 
dered, till  the  flood  came  —  till  the  predictions  of  Xoah 
were  fulfilled,  and  the  unbelieving  people,  were  all 
drowned. 

These  instances,  with  the  descriptions  and  expres- 
sions, and  novel  and  unexpected  remarks,  fixed  the 
attention  of  a  crowded  audience  through  a  long  dis- 
course. The  application  and  conclusion  were  ad- 
dressed to  the  conscience  and  the  feelings,  in  reference 
to  what  he  considered  the  wonderful  operations  of 
God  then  going  on  in  the  city.  He  warned  all  pres- 
ent not  to  oppose  the  work.  He  invited  them  to  join 
in  it,  to  repent  and  be  converted,  and  save  their  own 
souls.  But  if  they  would  not  do  this,  let  them  not 
prevent  others.  "  For  if  this  counsel,  or  this  work,  be 
of  men,  it  will  come  to  nought ;  but  if  it  be  of  God, 
ye  cannot  overthrow  it ;  lest  haply  ye  be  found  even 
to  fight  against  God."  "  Beware,  therefore,  lest  that 
come  upon  you  which  is  spoken  of  in  the  prophets  : 
Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  wonder,  and  perish." 

Such  preaching  did  good  then,  and  will  do  good 
now.  It  brings  out  before  the  eye  the  pictures  God's 
own  hand  had  hung  along  the  walls  of  the  historic 
temple,  for  the  instruction  and  guidance  of  the  race. 
It  made  the  word  of  God  a  living  verily.  There  was 
no  quibbling  among  the  rank  and  file.  The  ministers 
vied  with  each  other  in  helping  forward  the  work. 
The  church,  as  one  man,  sustained,  by  their  presence, 
cooperation,  and  influence,  the  honored  chieftain  who 
went   forth    relying   upon  the  promises   of  Jehovah. 


RESULT    OF    MR.    KNAPP's    LABORS.  85 

As  a  result,  all  classes  were  moved.  Each  one  worked 
over  against  his  own  house.  Merchants  worked  with 
merchants,  young  men  with  young  men,  women  of 
position  with  women  of  position.  The  Christian  tree 
bent  its  branches  downward,  and  spread  its  branches 
outward,  and  covered  with  its  shadow  vast  multitudes. 
The  bold  and  austere  manner  of  the  preacher,  the 
terrible  and  scathing  power  used  in  exposing  Uni- 
versalism  and  kindred  errors,  his  oddities,  and  yet 
remarkable  flights  of  soul-stirring  and  soul-awing 
oratory,  attracted  immense  multitudes,  while  the  man- 
ner in  wThich  he  was  sustained  by  preacher  and  lay- 
man, the  way  they  said  c  Amen '  to  what  was  said  and 
done,  added  to  the  sword  he  wielded,  the  weight  and 
the  authority  of  the  entire  church. 

This  was  a  most  wonderful  period  in  denomination- 
al history.  The  laity  that  upheld  the  hands  of  the 
ministry  were  unsurpassed  in  character,  in  talent,  and 
in  devotion.  Every  church  was  strong,  because  each 
church  might,  like  the  Sultan  of  the  East,  point  to 
her  stalwart  men  as  the  walls  of  her  defence  and 
the  implements  of  conquest.  It  was  at  this  period 
Daniel  Safford  introduced  Rev.  E.  N.  Kirk,  D.  D., 
to  Boston.  It  was  a  remarkable  happen-so,  even  if  it 
were  a  happen-so,  that  Mr.  Kirk  followed  Mr.  Knapp 
so  frequently.  One  was  the  John  the  Baptist,  preach- 
ing repentance,  and  the  other  was  the  reaper.  One 
was  the  blacksmith,  the  other  the  silversmith.  Said 
Dr.  Kirk,  "  I  delighted  to  follow  Mr.  Knapp,  because 
he  stirred  the  conscience,  and  made  a  great  number 
ready  to  listen  to  the  truth,  presented  in  a  milder 
form.     They  were  too  mad  to  hear  him,  they  were 


S6  MEMOIR   OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

under  too  deep  conviction  to  rest  content ;  so  many 
gladly  came  to  listen  to  me  who  might  have  gone, 
unmoved,  to  perdition,  had  it  not  been  for  the  sledge- 
hammer style  of  Mr.  Knapp."  For  this  reason  he 
followed  him,  in  Baltimore,  in  New  Haven,  and  in 
Boston. 

From  this  most  delightful  period  of  revival  interest 
we  must  turn  to  a  scene  of  conflict,  which  found  its 
origin  in  the  awakened  conscience  of  the  lovers  of 
Christ.  The  life  of  Timothy  Gilbert  was  interlaced 
with  the  life  of  the  world  in  many  ways.  Follow  the 
thread  where  you  will,  and  it  enables  you  to  confront 
sterling  worth,  incorruptible  honesty,  and  an  un- 
flinching adherence  to  what  he  deemed  right  towards 
God  and  man.  The  man  who  defended  revivals,  and 
who  was  the  right-hand  man  of  the  evangelist,  de- 
fended the  slave,  and  for  many  years  bore  the  burden 
and  heat  of  the  conflict. 


87 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ANTI-SLAVERY    AGITATION     IN    THE     CHURCH. THE 

PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    MISSION    BOARD    AT    BALTI- 
MORE.   EXCITING  DISCUSSION. LETTER  OF  BARON 

STOW. ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PROVISIONAL   COM- 
MITTEE.   TIMOTHY  GILBERT  TREASURER. 

The  slavery  agitation  in  the  Mission  Boards  of  our 
large  societies  found  an  origin  ina  "  Communication 
from  a  Committee  of  the  Baptist  Ministers  in  and  near 
London,  to  the  Board  of  the  General  Convention  of 
the  Baptist  Denomination  for  Foreign  Missions,  on 
the  Subject  of  Negro  Slavery." 

This  communication  was  referred  by  the  Board  to  a 
committee,  consisting  of  the  corresponding  secretary 
and  Messrs.  Knowles  and  Stow.  In  their  report,  they 
express  their  "  satisfaction  with  the  spirit  of  Christian 
affection,  respect,  and  candor  which  the  communica- 
tion breathes.  They  received  it  as  a  pleasing  omen 
of  a  more  intimate  correspondence  and  a  more  en- 
deared fellowship  with  our  Baptist  brethren  in  Great 
Britain.  The  committee,  however,  are  unanimously 
of  opinion  that  as  a  Board,  and  as  members  of  the 
General  Convention,  associated  for  the  exclusive  pur- 
pose of  sending  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  and  to  other 
benighted  men  not  belonging  to  our  own  country,  we 
are  precluded  by  our  constitution  from  taking  part  in 


SS  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

the  discussion  of  the  subject  proposed  in  the  said  com- 
munication." 

The  resolution  touching  this  question  reads :  "  Re- 
solved, —  That,  while,  as  they  trust,  their  love  of  free- 
dom, and  their  desire  for  the  happiness  of  all  men, 
are  not  less  strong  and  sincere  than  those  of  the  Brit- 
ish brethren,  they  cannot,  as  a  Board,  interfere  with  a 
subject  that  is  not  among  the  objects  for  which  the 
Convention  and  the  Board  were  formed." 

The  letter  was  dated  September  i,  1834,  and  in  a  bold 
and  fearless  manner  stated  in  full  the  peculiar  difficul- 
ties, which  cannot  be  fully  understood  by  persons  in 
other  countries.  The  letter  proceeds  to  explain  the 
difference  between  the  political  organization  of  the 
United  States  and  that  of  England,  and  this  difference 
makes  it  impossible  to  adopt  a  course  similar  to  that 
which  the  British  Parliament  have  adopted  in  refer- 
ence to  slavery  in  the  West  Indies  :  "  This  country  is 
not  one  state  with  an  unrestricted  legislature,  but  a 
confederacy  of  states  united  by  a  constitution,  in  which 
certain  powers  are  granted  to  the  national  govern- 
ment, and  all  other  powers  are  reserved  by  the  states. 
Among  these  reserved  -  powers  is  the  regulation  of 
slavery.  Congress  has  no  power  to  interfere  with  the 
slaves  in  the  respective  states-,  and  an  act  of  Con- 
gress to  emancipate  the  slaves  in  those  states  would 
be  as  wholly  null  and  void  as  an  act  of  the  British 
Parliament  for  the  same  purpose.  .  .  .  This  view 
of  the  case  exonerates  the  nation  as  such,  and  the 
states  in  which  no  slaves  are  found,  from  the  charge 
of  upholding  slavery.  It  is  due,  moreover,  to  the 
republic  to  remember  that  slavery  was  introduced  into 


REPLY    OF    THE    COMMITTEE.  89 

this  country  long  before  the  colonies  became  inde- 
pendent states.  The  slave-trade  was  encouraged  by 
the  government  of  Great  Britain,  and  slaves  were 
brought  into  the  colonies  against  the  wishes  of  the 
colonists  and  the  repeated  acts  of  some  of  the  colonial 
legislatures.  These  acts  were  negatived  by  the  King 
of  England,  and  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
as  originally  drawn  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  it  was  stated, 
among  the  grievances  which  produced  the  revolution, 
that  the  King  of  England  had  steadily  resisted  the 
efforts  of  the  colonists  to  prevent  the  introduction  of 
slaves.  Soon  after  the  revolution,  several  of  the  states 
took  measures  to  free  themselves  from  slavery.  In 
1787,  Congress  adopted  an  act,  by  which  it  was  pro- 
vided that  slavery  should  never  be  permitted  in  any  of 
the  states  to  be  formed  in  the  immense  territory  north- 
west of  the  Ohio,  in  which  territory  the  great  states 
of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois  have  since  been  formed. 
There  are  now  thirteen  states,  out  of  twenty-four,  in 
which  slavery  may  be  said  to  be  extinct.  Maryland 
is  taking  measures  to  free  herself  from  slavery.  Ken- 
tucky and  Virginia  will,  it  is  believed,  follow  the 
example.  We  state  these  facts  to  show  that  the  re- 
public did  not  originate  slavery  here,  and  that  she  has 
done  much  to  remove  it  altogether  from  her  bosom. 
She  took  measures,  earlier  than  any  other  country,  for 
the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade,  and  she  is  now 
zealously  laboring  to  accomplish  the  entire  extinction 
of  that  abominable  traffic. 

"  Since,  then,  from  the  character  of  our  political 
institutions,  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  is  impos- 
sible, except  with  the  free  consent  of  the  masters,  it  is 


90  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

necessary  to  approach  them  with  calm  and  affectionate 
arguments."  It  was  claimed  that  slaveholders  were 
better  acquainted  with  slavery  than  others  ;  that  multi- 
tudes were  in  favor  of  its  extinction,  while  some  "  are 
not  convinced  that  slavery  is  wrong  in  principle,  just 
as  many  good  men  in  England,  half  a  century  since, 
believed  the  slave-trade  to  be  just  and  right."  The 
number  and  character  of  the  two  millions  of  slaves, 
scattered  over  a  part  of  the  Union,  with  no  large 
military  force  to  overawe  them,  and  with  no  provis- 
ions to  care  for  the  young,  the  feeble,  and  the  aged, 
made  this  subject  of  emancipation  a  problem  difficult 
of  solution,  and,  "  we  presume  that  the  people  of  Eng- 
land would  feel  somewhat  differently  on  the  subject  of 
emancipation,  if  the  slaves  were  among  themselves, 
and  the  perils  of  this  moral  volcano  were  constantly 
impending  over  their  own  heads." 

Mention  is  made  of  the  good  feeling  existing  among 
the  "  multiplying  thousands  of  Baptists  throughout  the 
land,"  of  their  confidence  in  their  love  for  Christ,  of 
the  liberality  and  zeal  characterizing  their  southern 
brethren,  and  of  the  impossibility  of  reaching  the  con- 
clusion that  it  would  be  right  to  use  language  or  adopt 
measures  which  might  tend  to  break  the  ties  that  unite 
them  to  us  in  our  General  Convention,  and  in  numerous 
other  benevolent  societies,  and  to  array  brother  against 
brother,  church  against  church,  and  association  against 
association,  in  a  contest  about  slavery. 

These  reasons  induced  the  Board  of  Missions  to 
decline  an  interference  with  the  subject  of  slavery. 
"  It  ought  to  be  discussed  at  all  proper  times,  and  in 
all  suitable  modes.     We  believe  that  the  progress  of 


MR.    MANN    OPPOSED    TO   ANTI-SLAVERY.  91 

public  opinion  in  reference  to  slavery  is  very  rapid, 
and  we  are  quite  sure  that  it  cannot  be  accelerated  by 
any  interference  which  our  southern  brethren  would 
regard  as  an  invasion  of  their  political  rights,  or  as  an 
impeachment  of  their  Christian  character." 

What  an  advanced  scout  is  to  an  army,  this  let- 
ter was  to  the  anti-slavery  conflict,  which  began  as 
the  sighing  of  a  zephyr,  which  grew  into  a  tornado 
that  has  stranded  the  navies  of  our  hope,  and  lev- 
elled in  the  dust  the  monuments  of  our  pride.  The 
church  was  offered  the  front  of  the  conflict.  Right 
or  wrong,  she  judged  it  to  be  her  duty  to  hold  her 
opinions  on  the  subject  of  slavery  in  abeyance  to  the 
paramount  interests  of  the  soul.  Here  was  a  society 
engaged  in  promoting  the  spread  of  the  gospel 
throughout  the  world.  Should  the  Board  stop  because 
of  a  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the  rights  of 
man?  "Christ  and  his  church  habitually  regarded 
man  as  an  immortal  being  ;  and  so  absorbing  was  the 
thought  of  his  eternal  destiny,  that  they  could  not  stop 
to  discuss  the  minor  questions  of  the  hour."  This 
was  the  argument.  Infidels  have  denounced  both  the 
argument  and  its  advocates ;  and  because  ministers 
and  churches  have  sheltered  themselves  behind  the 
claims  of  missions  and  the  requirements  of  the  work, 
Christianity  has  been  ridiculed.  But  it  should  not  be 
overlooked  that  the  reproach  heaped  upon  the  church 
attests  its  high  character  and  position.  Horace  Mann 
won  fame  as  an  abolitionist,  and  as  a  defender  of  the 
rights  of  human  nature.  Yet,  ten  years  later,  because, 
forsooth,  his  little  scheme  of  education  was  imperilled 
by  the  conduct  of  Rev.  S.  J.  May,  in  regard  to  abo- 


Cp  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

litionism.  he  did  not  hesitate  to  write  him,*  when  a 
single  pupil  had  left  the  school,  "  The  obvious  feeling 
was.  that  it  was  a  pity  that  theoretical  anti-slavery 
should  prove  to  be  practical  anti-education,  by  de- 
priving your  school  of  a  valuable  pupil,  and  yourself, 
to  some  extent,  of  the  respect  of  an  influential  citizen." 
Why  did  not  infidels  attack  this  position?  The  church 
lost  not  only  one.  but  oftentimes  hundreds,  because  of 
its  adherence  to  the  rights  of  man  ;  and  yet  because 
some  ministers  were  silent,  rather  than  promote  dis- 
sension, there  was  no  language  bad  enough  to  ex- 
press  the  condemnation  felt  towards  them  by  the 
leaders  of  the  abolition  movement.  The  Board  of 
Missions  cannot  be  compared  to  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion in  Massachusetts,  either  in  the  objects  it  strives  to 
promote,  or  the  cause  it  endeavors  to  serve. 

Said  Mr.  Mann,  "  I  confess  myself  one  of  those  who 
hold  the  maxim  to  be  a  damnable  one,  that  '  our  actions 
are  our  own,  while  the  consequences  belong  to  God.' 
We  cannot  separate  the  action  from  the  consequence, 
and  therefore  the  latter  is  as  much  our  own  as  the 
former."  Mr.  May,  in  his  reply,  claimed  that  some  of 
the  pupils  were  abolitionists  when  they  came,  or  were 
made  so  by  Father  Peirce.  To  this  Mr.  Mann  re- 
plies, "  Father  Peirce  had  no  right  to  make  them  so, 
any  more  than  he  had  to  make  them  Unitarians,  or 
Bank  or  anti-Bank  in  their  politics."  In  time  Mr. 
May  is  advertised  to  be  one  of  the  lecturers  of  an 
abolition  course  about  to  be  delivered  in  Boston. 
About  this,  Mr.  Mann  writes,  "Every  friend  of  yours, 
and  of  the  cause  with  which  you  hold  so  important  a 

*  Life  of  Horace  Mann,  pp.  169,  170. 


MR.    MANNS    OPPOSITION    CONTINUED.  93 

connection,  is  pained  beyond  measure  at  this  an- 
nunciation. Did  you  not  tell  me,  again  and  again, 
that  if  the  public  would  let  you  alone,  in  regard  to 
your  abolition  views,  you  thought  you  could  get  along 
well  enough  with  your  friends  ?  But  how  can  you  ex- 
pect that  the  public  will  let  you  alone,  if  they  find  you, 
every  term,  making  abolition  speeches  or  delivering 
abolition  lectures,  and  exhibiting  yourself  as  a  cham- 
pion of  the  cause  in  a  way  and  on  occasions  which  so 
many  will  deem  offensive  ?  You  must  not  mistake  my 
motives ;  and  if  you  think  I  am  speaking  too  plainly, 
you  must  pardon  it  for  the  zeal  I  have  in  the  cause."  * 
Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  earnest  remon- 
strances of  valued  Christian  friends,  when  they  have 
felt  the  interests  of  souls  were  imperilled  by  intro- 
ducing political  questions  into  the  pulpit,  will  be  bet- 
ter able  to  make  apologies  for  them.  The  churches 
did  not  indorse  the  position  of  the  Board  of  Missions. 
Professor  J.  D.  Knowles,  on  his  return  from  New  York, 
where  he  became  infected  with  the  disease  which  hur- 
ried him  to  a  premature  grave,  declared  his  sorrow 
that  he  had  ever  written  this  letter  of  reply  to  the 
English  Baptists,  as  it  made  him  appear  to  be  what  he 
was  not —  the  defender  of  human  slavery.  This  was  in 
1838.  Horace  Mann's  letters  were  written  in  1843, 
when  the  nation  was  rocking  with  agitation.  It  would 
repay  perusal  could  we  present  in  detail  the  honor- 
able part  the  church  bore  in  the  anti-slavery  reform. 
The  Mission  Board  was  formed  in  May,  18 14,  and 
commenced  operations  with  two  missionaries  in  the 
field,  providentially  thrown  upon  their  hands.  It  is 
known  that  Judson  and  Rice  sailed  for  India  as  mis- 
*  Life  of  Horace  Mann,  p.  172. 


94  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

sionaries  of  the  American  Board.  While  on  their 
passage  they  were  converted  to  Baptist  views.  They 
landed  upon  a  foreign  shore  without  money  and  with- 
out friends.  When  the  news  reached  America  it  pro- 
duced a  thrill  of  joy  in  the  Baptist  heart.  The  North 
and  the  South  joined  heart  and  soul  in  the  wTork  of 
the  Lord.  The  West  was  then  unknown.  The  valley 
of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  was  a  terra  incognita. 
The  weakness  of  the  denomination  made  union  im- 
perative. United  heart  and  hand,  they  had  worked 
together  until  this  letter  came  from  England.  The 
conscience  of  Christians  had  been  aroused  by  the  ef- 
forts made  to  promote  emancipation  views  in  England 
and  in  the  West  Indies. 

At  this  time  the  war  began  in  earnest.  Three  years 
before,  William  Lloyd  Garrison  had  commenced  the 
publication  of  the  "  Liberator"  in  New  England,  where 
he  claimed  that  "  prejudices  against  the  negro  and 
freedom  were  more  rampant  than  in  the  South." 

In  1832  he  began  to  send  forth  illustrations  of  the 
slave-locked  in  the  arms  of  his  wife,  being  beaten  by 
the  overseer  ;  or  of  the  poor  slave,  kneeling,  eyes  look- 
ing towards  heaven,  and  hands  clasped,  saying,  "  Am 
I  not  a  woman  and  a  sister  ?  "  The  platform  began  to 
resound  with  appeals ;  the  pulpit  sounded  a  trumpet 
which  gave  timely  warning ;  the  church  prepared  for 
action. 

In  1835  a  meeting  was  called  in  Ritchie  Hall,  Bos- 
ton, "  to  disapprove  of  all  denunciation,  personal  cen- 
sure, and  severity  respecting  any  of  our  brethren  who 
may  speak  or  act  differently  from  the  wishes  of  the 
Board  on  the  subject  of  anti-slavery."     In  June,  1835, 


ACTION    OF    CHRISTIAN   ABOLITIONIS 

a  letter  was  sent  to  the  Board  disapproving  then 
tion  in  withholding  from  publication  the  English  lette. 
and  the  reply. 

At  this  time  Rev.  William  H.  Brisbane,  who  after- 
wards emancipated  his  slaves,  and  became  the  leading 
abolitionist  of  his  time,  was  a  pro-slavery  editor  in 
Charleston,  S.  C,  and  was  eager  to  enter  into  an  ar- 
gument to  prove  that  slavery  was  a  divine  institution, 
and  was  sanctioned  by  the  Bible.  Then,  for  the  first 
time,  the  South  began  to  be  pervaded  with  the  thought 
that  the  North  regarded  slavery  as  a  sin  against  God. 
Though  the  Board  of  Missions  owned  the  "  Christian 
Index,"  published  in  Georgia,  and  was  sanctioning 
slavery  in  various  ways,  yet  at  this  time  the  northern 
religious  press  contained  very  many  leading  editorials, 
headed,  "  The  Bible  against  Slavery." 

The  policy  adopted  by  the  Missionary  Board  pre- 
vailed to  a  large  extent.  The  "  Watchman "  closed 
its  columns  to  the  discussion  of  the  question.  The 
"  Reflector "  was  started  in  Worcester  in  the  year 
1838.  It  was  designed  to  promote  the  glory  of  God 
and  good  will  to  man.  "  Fear  God  and  give  glory  to 
him.  All  Scripture  is  profitable.  God  hath  made  of 
one  blood  all  nations  of  men,"  were  the  inscriptions 
written  upon  this  banner  of  truth. 

In  a  letter  written  by  Rev.  Baron  Stow  to  the 
London  Union,  January  11,  1839,  ne  savs?  — 

"  Among  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  I  might  name  the  inhuman  prejudice 
against  color  as  the  badge  of  servitude  and  debase- 
ment;  the  peculiar  organization  of  our  government, 
reserving  to  the  states  the  entire  control  of  slavery 


MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

.a  our  own  limits  ;  the  opposition  of  Christians  in 
il  the  slaveholding  states  to  abolition,  and  in  the  free 
states  to  all  agitation  of  the  subject.  It  would  not  be 
difficult  to  show  that  the  influence  of  the  American 
church,  at  present,  is  the  main  pillar  of  American 
slavery. 

"  But,  my  dear  brother,  God  is  on  our  side,  and  the 
cause  will  prevail.  Every  day  it  is  gaining  friends, 
and  though  less  rapidly  than  we  could  wish,  yet  stead- 
ily and  surely  advancing  towards  the  desired  consum- 
mation. Still  help  us  by  your  prayers  and  remon- 
strances, and  anticipate  with  us  the  joyful  day  when 
republican  America  shall  be  purified  of  this  foul  and 
deadly  leprosy." 

On  January  6,  1841,  the  following  address  was  re- 
published at  the  request  of  large  numbers  North  and 
South.  The  year  1840  gave  it  birth,  but  the  year 
1 841  was  distinguished  by  the  influence  it  exerted. 

To  Southern  Baptists. 

The  American  Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Convention, 
holding  its  first  session  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on 
the  28th,  29th,  and  30th  of  April,  1840,  to  the  Baptist 
slaveholders  of  the  Southern  States :  — 

Fathers  and  Brethren  :  We  have  assembled,  to 
the  number  of  one  hundred  and  ten  persons,  at  the 
written  call  of  seven  hundred  Baptists  from  thirteen 
of  the  United  States.  Of  this  number,  about  four  hun- 
dred are  accredited  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ. 

A  conviction  of  duty,  which,  we  humbly  conceive, 
is  based  upon  the  fear  of  God  and  the  love  of  our 


APPEAL    TO    SOUTHERN   BAPTISTS.  97 

fellow-men,  —  whether  bond  or  free,  oppressors  or 
oppressed,  —  constrains  us  to  submit  a  few  thoughts 
for  your  special  and  candid  consideration.  In  doing 
so,  we  appeal,  with  the  firmest  confidence,  to  the 
Omniscient  God  for  the  rectitude  of  our  intentions. 
We  solemnly  profess  a  prayerful  and  submissive  rev- 
erence for  the  principles  of  his  recorded  will.  We 
feelingly  avow  a  tender  sympathy,  not  only  for  the 
slave,  but  also  for  you,  upon  many  of  whom  slavery  is 
entailed  by  heritage  and  enforced  by  law,  while  inex- 
orable habits,  formed  in  the  passive  state  of  infancy, 
as  well  as  universal  usage,  impose  bonds  upon  your- 
selves scarcely  less  strong  or  less  oppressive  than  the 
fetters  of  the  slave. 

Hear  us,  then,  with  patience  and  kindness.  It  is 
our  firm  conviction  that  the  whole  system  of  American 
slavery,  in  theory  and  practice,  is  a  violation  of  the 
instincts  of  nature,  a  perversion  of  the  first  principles 
of  justice,  and  a  positive  transgression  of  the  revealed 
will  of  God ;  for  man  instinctively  seeks  happiness 
and  repels  outrage,  while  slavery  compels  him  to  fore- 
go the  former  and  endure  the  latter,  for  himself  and 
his  posterity,  until  the  end  of  time.  Justice,  in  its 
very  nature,  assumes  the  existence  of  free  moral 
agents,  mutually  bound  by  established  principles,  and 
acting  towards  each  other  with  perfect  reciprocity. 
We  do  not  speak  of  justice  towards  a  "  chattel  per- 
sonal," a  horse,  or  a  swine.  But  the  statutes  of  the 
South  pronounce  a  slave  a  "  chattel  personal  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  whatsoever,"  and  thus  set  him 
beyond  the  pale  of  justice,  as  utterly  disqualified  to 
assert  a  right  and  to  redress  a  wrong. 
5 


9S  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Divine  revelation,  as  committed  to  Moses  and  ex- 
pounded by  our  Lord,  teaches  that  pious  self-love  is 
the  only  proper  measure  of  our  love  towards  others. 
Does  slavery  —  especially  its  laws  which  quench  or 
smother  in  the  slave  the  light  of  the  mind,  which  tear 
from  his  agonized  bosom  the  dearest  objects  of  his 
natural  affection  —  conform  to  that  rule  of  Holy 
Writ  ? 

We  believe  that  God  only  has  the  right  to  take 
away  the  health,  the  wife,  the  children,  or  the  life  of 
men  guilty  of  no  social  crime.  When  man,  single  or 
associated,  uses  his  power  for  such  ends,  he  appears 
to  us  to  arrogate  to  himself  the  prerogatives  of  the 
Almighty,  and  to  assume  a  responsibility  under  which 
an  archangel  would  stagger. 

God,  it  is  true,  made  use  of  the  Jews  to  exterminate 
certain  heathen  tribes,  and  to  inflict  upon  others  a 
mild  servitude,  carefully  defined  and  restricted.  To 
employ  this  mode  of  punishment,  or  any  other  that  he 
chose,  was  his  unquestionable  right.  But  where  is 
the  Scripture  warrant  to  apply  this  special  license  of 
Jehovah  for  the  extirpation  of  the  human  race  at  large, 
or  the  enslavement  of  any  nation  in  particular?  This 
specific  direction  to  his  oracular  people  is  but  an 
exception  that  confirms  the  general  rule  of  his  Son, 
"  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

The  heart  of  the  blessed  Jesus  was,  indeed,  an  over- 
flowing fountain  of  the  tenderest  sympathy  for  human 
woe.  Food,  health,  and  life  were  his  boon,  never 
withheld  when  solicited ;  and  the  gospel  preached  to 
the  poor  was  the  peculiar  and  characteristic  proof  of 
his  being  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the  wTorld. 


APPEAL    TO    SOUTHERN   BAPTISTS.  99 

No  evidence  exists  that  he  ever  witnessed  a  scene  of 
slavery.  It  is  not  shown  that  Hebrews  of  that  day 
trafficked  in  human  flesh.  The  chained  coffle,  the 
naked  gang  of  the  cotton-field,  the  exposed  female 
reeking  under  the  lash,  the  child  torn  forever  from  its 
mother's  breaking  heart,  —  these,  and  worse  acts  of 
slavery's  tragedy,  were  not  performed,  so  far  as  his- 
tory speaks,  before  the  face  of  Jesus.  But  his  warmest, 
almost  his  only  burst  of  indignation,  is  against  those 
who  devoured  the  helpless  widow's  substance,  and, 
for  a  pretence,  made  long  prayers  and  liberal  contri- 
butions to  the  cause  of  God. 

His  itinerant,  inspired  followers  were  too  busy  in 
draining  off  the  universal  deluge  of  idolatry,  explain- 
ing the  nature  of  the  one  living  God,  and  establishing 
the  claims  of  Jesus  as  the  true  Messiah,  to  define,  or 
to  condemn,  in  form,  every  species  and  variety  of 
crime,  in  every  age,  that  hell,  fruitful  of  inventions, 
might  suggest  and  fallen  human  nature  perpetrate. 
Hence,  horse-racing,  gambling,  piracy,  the  rum  traffic, 
and  the  African  and  American  slave-trade,  remain  un- 
graduated  in  the  Scripture  scale  of  human  sins.  Paul, 
however,  exhorts  the  servants  of  heathen  masters  to 
respectfulness  and  patience,  for  the  reason  that  the 
name  of  God  be  not  blasphemed ;  and  advises  them, 
while  patient  under  bondage,  to  prefer  freedom.  He 
enjoins  Christian  masters  to  give  their  servants  what 
is  just  and  equal.  Do  the  slaves  of  American  Baptists 
obtain  justice  and  equity?  He  implores  his  brother 
Philemon  to  receive  again  the  converted  fugitive,  not, 
as  he  probably  had  been,  the  heathen  vassal  of  a  heathen 
lord,  but  as  a  beloved  brother  in  Jesus  Christ.     Thus 


IOO  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

we  behold,  in  all  the  Scriptures,  a  virtual  and  total 
condemnation  of  American  slavery. 

Besides.  American  Calvinistic  Baptists,  as  a  whole 
denomination,  have  been  hitherto  regarded,  by  the 
Christian  world,  as  responsible  for  the  sins  of  Baptist 
~'.nd  the  sufferings  of  o?ie  hundred  thou- 
sand Baptist  slaves.  And  if  we  fail,  as  many  do,  to 
testify  our  abhorrence  of  a  system  that  allows  a  fellow- 
Christian  to  sell  his  brother,  or  his  brother's  wife  or 
child,  or  to  dissolve  the  marriage  tie  at  pleasure,  we 
see  not  how  to  escape  the  merited  contempt  of  man- 
kind, the  reproaches  of  conscience,  or  the  displeasure 
of  God.  For  the  followers  of  Jesus  are  ordained  the 
light  of  the  world,  and  his  zvitness  of  the  truth  until 
the  end  of  time. 

Further,  in  the  exhaustion  of  your  once  teeming 
soil ;  the  non-increase,  and,  in  some  parts,  diminu- 
tion of  your  white  population ;  the  depreciation  of 
your  staple  products,  and  the  competition  of  British 
enterprise  in  India  ;  the  jubilee-shout  of  West  India 
emancipation,  rousing  the  dormant  spirit  of  your  slaves 
to  assert  the  rights  of  man  ;  your  intrinsic  incapacity7 
of  self-defence  in  case  of  foreign  aggression ;  your  con- 
stant exposure  to  servile  insurrection  and  massacre ; 
and  in  the  general  reprobation  of  republican  slavery 
throughout  the  rest  of  the  civilized  and  Christian 
world,  —  we  behold  indications  that  God  attests,  by 
earthly  signs,  the  precept  of  his  heavenly  oracles,  to 
"  let  the  oppressed  go  free." 

Again  :  if  you  have  heard  us  thus  far  with  candor, 
you  may  perhaps  inquire,  ;-  What  would  you  have  us 
do?"     We  answer,  "At  once  confess  before  heaven 


APPEAL    TO    SOUTHERN   BAPTISTS.  IOI 

and  earth  the  sinfulness  of  holding  slaves  ;  admit  it  to 
be  not  only  a  misfortune,  but  a  crime  ;  remonstrate 
against  laws  that  bind  the  system  on  you  ;  petition  for 
the  guarantee,  to  all,  of  "  natural  and  inalienable 
rights."  If  your  remonstrance  and  prayers  to  man 
are  disregarded,  cast  yourself  on  the  God  of  provi- 
dence and  justice  ;  forsake,  like  Abraham,  your  father- 
land, and  carry  your  children  and  your  households  to 
the  vast  asylum  of  our  prairies  and  our  wilderness, 
where  our  Father  in  heaven  has  bidden  our  mother 
earth  to  open  her  exuberant  breast  for  the  nourish- 
ment of  many  sons. 

Finally,  —  if  you  should  (which  Heaven  avert!)  re- 
main deaf  to  the  voice  of  warning  and  entreaty ;  if 
you  still  cling  to  the  power-maintained  privilege  of 
living  on  unpaid  toil,  and  of  claiming  as  property  the 
image  of  God  which  Jesus  bought  with  precious  blood, 
—  we  solemnly  declare,  as  we  fear  the  Lord,  that  we 
cannot  and  we  dare  not  recognize  you  as  consistent 
brethren  in  Christ ;  we  cannot  join  in  partial,  selfish 
prayers,  that  the  groans  of  the  slave  may  be  unheard ; 
we  cannot  hear  preaching  which  makes  God  the  au- 
thor and  approver  of  human  misery  and  vassalage ; 
and  we  cannot,  at  the  Lord's  table,  cordially  take  that 
as  a  brother's  hand,  which  plies  the  scourge  on  wo- 
man's naked  flesh,  which  thrusts  a  gag  into  the 
mouth  of  man,  which  rivets  fetters  on  the  innocent, 
and  which  shuts  up  the  Bible  from  human  eyes.  We 
deplore  your  condition  ;  we  pray  for  your  deliverance  ; 
and  God  forbid  that  we  should  ever  sin  against  him 
by  ceasing  so  to  pray. 


102  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

The  war  of  words  now  began  between  the  two  con- 
tending parties.  Document  met  document,  and  letter 
met  letter.  Every  newspaper  was  full  of  "  Our  own 
Views. "  It  had  been  a  period  of  intense  excitement 
for  years.  Mob  law  took  the  place  of  civil  law,  and 
presses  which  could  not  be  intimidated  by  threats,  and 
editors  that  could  not  be  silenced  by  argument,  were 
ruthlessly  assailed. 

On  one  side  stood  Elon  Galusha,  Nathaniel  Colver, 
Timothy  Gilbert,  and  others  like  them ;  on  the  other 
stood  Richard  Fuller,  J.  B.  Jeter,  and  others  as  fear- 
less and  as  brave. 

In  1 84 1  the  effort  was  made  to  drop  Elon  Galusha' s 
name  from  the  Board  of  Missions.  It  was  successful. 
Joseph  Sturge,  of  London,  commissioned  with  an  ad- 
dress to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  signed  by 
Thomas  Clarkson,  and  written  "  in  behalf  of  the  mil- 
lions of  our  fellow-citizens  held  in  bondage,"  on  his 
way  from  a  slave  pen,  stopped  to  look  in  upon  the 
Triennial  Convention,  and  thus,  in  a  letter  to  a  slave- 
trader  writes :  "In  passing  from  the  premises  we 
looked  in  upon  the  Convention  of  the  Baptists  of  the 
United  States,  when  in  session  in  the  city  of  Balti- 
more, where  I  found  slaveholding  ministers  of  high 
rank  in  the  church,  urging  successfully  the  exclusion 
from  the  Missionary  Board  of  that  society  of  all  those 
who,  in  principle  and  practice,  were  known  to  be  de- 
cided abolitionists  ;  and  the  results  of  their  efforts  sat- 
isfied me  that  the  darkest  picture  of  slavery  is  not  to 
be  found  in  the  jail  of  the  slave-trader,  but  rather  in  a 
convention  of  professed  ministers  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  expelling  from  the  Board  of  the  society,  formed 


ADDRESS    OF   MR.    GALUSHA.  IO3 

to  enlighten  the  heathen  of  other  nations,  all  who  con- 
sistently labor  for  the  overthrow  of  a  system  which 
denies  a  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  near 
three  millions  of  heathen  at  home." 

Rev.  Elon  Galusha,  in  his  letter  to  Rev.  R.  Fuller, 
Beaufort,  S.  C,  had  taken  the  boldest  anti-slavery 
position,  and  entered  into  the  defence  of  the  slave  in 
a  manner  so  fearless,  so  kind,  so  eloquent  that  it  won 
troops  of  friends  to  his  cause,  and  carried  dismay  to 
the  ranks  of  the  foe.  There  were  hundreds  in  the 
Missionary  Society  that  stood  by  his  side.  Mr.  Sturge 
overlooked  this  fact.  It  was  common  thus  to  cast  re- 
proach upon  the  church,  and  to  forget  that  there  were 
more  than  seven  thousand  who  never  bowed  the  knee 
to  Baal.  The  lives  of  men  like  Gilbert,  Colver,  Galu- 
sha,  and  a  host  of  others,  prove  this.  The  history  of 
the  American  Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Convention  proves 
it.  The  piles  of  anti-slavery  documents  establish  the 
fact.  The  denominational  press  proclaims  it  with 
trumpet  tone. 

uYou  assure  us  that  you  are  content  to  appeal  to 
God  in  justification  of  slavery,"  said  Mr.  Galusha. 
"  You  should  remember  that  this  whole  nation,  Chris- 
tians, ministers  and  all,  once  unitedly  appealed  to  God 
for  the  truth  you  deny.  They  declared  that  all  men 
are  created  equal ;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their 
Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights  ;  that  among 
these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 
You  dwell  upon  the  pleasure  of  laboring,  praying, 
singing,  and  communing  with  fifteen  hundred  slaves, 
as  though  that  were  some  part  or  parcel  of  slavery, 
which  should  commend  it  to   our  regard,   or  which 


104  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

reconciles  you  to  it.  or  justifies  you  in  supporting  it ; 
whereas  there  is  nothing  in  the  genius,  the  laws,  the 
spirit  or  tendency  of  the  institution,  to  produce  any 
such  state  of  things,  but  entirely  the  contrary.  All 
which  you  describe  as  lovely  is  to  be  attributed  to 
humanity  and  religion,  pushing  their  conquests  into 
the  empire  of  slavery." 

This  letter  abounded  in  facts.  He  spread  out  be- 
fore the  eye  the  fifteen  hundred  thousand  human  be- 
ings whom  the  Presbyterian  synod  of  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia,  by  their  committee,  say.  "will  bear  a 
comparison  with  the  heathen  in  any  country  in  the 
world."  He  spoke  of  their  "  own  missionary  (Tur- 
pin).  who.  in  giving  oral  instructions  to  the  slaves. 
drew  forth  a  remonstrance  signed  by  three  hundred 
and  fiftv-two  individuals,  the  ground  of  which  was 
•knowledge  is  power.'"  and  that  ••intelligence  and 
slaverv  have  no  affinity  for  each  other."  ••  You  express 
fears  that  the  church  will  be  rent  in  twain  by  this 
topic.  Should  it  be  so.  will  not  the  responsibility-  rest 
upon  those  who  shall  be  found  to  love  power  more 
than  justice,  to  love  slavery  more  than  their  brethren 
whom  the  monster  crushes,  and  prefer  fellowship  with 
that  system  of  human  degradation  to  communion  with 
the  church  of  Christ?"  Notwithstanding  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  South.  Mr.  Galusha  is  elected  president  of 
the  Missionary  Convention  of  the  State  of  Xew  York 
by  a  triumphant  majority,  and  the  feeling  is.  that  there 
will  be  a  close  fight  at  Baltimore,  with  a  probability 
of  a  split  of  the  denomination  and  a  division  even 
among  the  southern  members. 

March   24.    1S41.   the   executive    committee   of   the 


SOUTHERN   BAPTIST    CONVENTIONS.  IO5 

American  Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Society  sends  another 
address  to  the  South,  in  which  slavery  is  held  up  as 
a  sin  against  God,  and  the  violation  of  every  natural 
right  of  man.  Rejoinders  are  written,  and  answers 
come  back.  In  the  spring  of  1841,  the  conflict  culmi- 
nated. The  principal  benevolent  societies  of  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  met  in  Baltimore,  April  29,  and 
began  their  work  Friday,  A.M.,  April  30.  This  ses- 
sion was  the  most  important  of  any  in  its  results. 
After  hearing  the  treasurer's  report,  the  Convention 
proceeded  to  ballot  for  its  Board  of  Managers.  This 
election  included  a  vote  on  the  name  of  Elon  Galusha. 
Meetings  had  been  previously  held  in  Baltimore,  both 
public  and  private,  where  a  ticket  had  been  prepared 
in  which  the  name  of  every  abolitionist,  hitherto  on 
the  Board  (with  the  exception  of  Baron  Stow),  was 
left  off.  In  the  minutes  of  the  twentieth  anniversary 
of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  page  9,  there  is 
a  reference  to  the  action  of  this  meeting.  From  this 
it  appears  that  a  meeting  of  southern  delegates  was 
held  in  Baltimore,  on  Monday  previous  to  the  meeting 
of  the  Convention,  in  which  a  document  signed  by  a 
large  number  of  northern  brethren  was  submitted  as 
a  voluntary  expression  of  their  sentiments.  This  doc- 
ument determined  the  southern  delegates  to  take  no 
action  till  after  the  election  of  the  Board  of  Managers. 
In  this  election  all  known  abolitionists  were  left  off 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  Baron  Stow,  a  for- 
mer member  of  the  Board,  had  been  exceptionable  at 
the  South  ;  but  a  letter  addressed  by  him  to  the  For- 
eign Secretary  was  read  before  the  meeting  of  south- 
ern delegates,  of  which  a  copy  was  preserved,  and  of 

5* 


Io6  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

which  the  following  is  the  substance  :  u  I  do  wholly 
disapprove  the  denunciatory  language  so  much  in 
vogue  with  some  in  regard  to  slaveholders.  I  think 
it  not  only  impolitic  and  inexpedient,  but  uncourteous 
and  unchristian.  The  address  of  the  Baptist  Anti- 
Slavery  Convention  to  southern  Baptists  I  was  dissat- 
isfied with  at  the  first  reading,  and  refused  to  distrib- 
ute it,  as  requested,  among  my  friends  of  the  South.  I 
have  never  been  able  to  satisfy  myself,  from  the  New 
Testament,  that  I  ought  to  deny  any  courtesy  to  a  Chris- 
tian brother  because  he  is  a  slaveholder."  This  com- 
munication induced  the  southern  delegates  to  believe 
it  would  be  impolitic  to  oppose  his  reelection.  The 
election  came  and  passed,  and  Mr.  Galusha's  name 
was  dropped.  Dr.  Fuller,  in  the  convention,  declared 
that  he  had  not  been  instructed  how  to  vote.  It  was 
afterwards  proved  that  he  had  been  instructed  by  his 
Association,  and  had  failed  to  remember  or  to  state 
the  fact. 

Dr.  StowT  had  declared  himself  dissatisfied  with  the 
address  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Convention.  It  was  after- 
wards asserted  that  without  objection  he  had  voted  to 
circulate  three  thousand  copies  of  that  address  in  the 
South.  The  letter  says,  "  I  refused  to  distribute  it, 
as  requested,  among  my  friends  of  the  South."  These 
facts,  spread  among  the  churches,  weakened  the  con- 
fidence of  brethren  in  each  other,  and  impaired  their 
influence. 

In  August,  1 841,  the  Tremont  Street  church  took 
action,  in  which  the  hand  of  Timothy  Gilbert  is  visi- 
ble. After  reviewing  in  detail  the  facts  to  which  we 
have  hastily  glanced,  they  — 


ACTION    OF    THE   TREMONT    STREET   CHURCH.     107 

"  Resolved,  ist,  —  That  the  present  Board  are  virtu- 
ally pledged  to  the  fellowship  and  support  of  slavery ; 
that  they  have  willingly  given  the  South  so  to  under- 
stand it ;  that  this  pledge,  as  it  was  intended,  has  met 
and  satisfied  the  demands  of  the  South  ;  and  that  while 
the  studied  and  peculiar  manner  of  doing  it  may  for  a 
time  succeed  in  blinding  the  eyes  of  many  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  operation,  it  is  in  reality  none  the  less  a 
departure  from  the  appropriate  work  of  the  Conven- 
tion, nor  any  the  less  effectual  in  prostituting  the  moral 
influence  of  that  organization  to  the  support  of  sla- 
very, than  if  it  had  been  done  in  a  more  frank  and 
official  manner. 

"  Resolved,  2d, — That,  connected  as  were  the  doings 
of  the  Convention  at  Baltimore  writh  the  above  de- 
fined compromise  document  in  the  rejection  of  brother 
Galusha  and  others  from  the  Board,  and  also  with 
the  intimation  given  at  the  time  by  brother  Fuller, 
that  it  was  to  prevent  the  South  from  withholding 
their  funds,  we  cannot  divest  the  transaction  of  the 
appearance  of  bribery ;  and  that  the  Convention  has 
assumed  to  itself  a  position  of  dictatorship  over  the 
disciplinary  operations  of  the  churches  at  once  dan- 
gerous to  their  independence,  their  peace,  and  their 
purity ;  and  that  so  long  as  it  maintains  its  present 
position,  while  our  interest  in  the  cause  of  missions  is 
unabated,  we  are  constrained,  as  we  regard  the  cause 
of  truth  and  righteousness,  the  responsibility  of  the 
churches  to  Christ,  and  the  cause  of  missions  itself 
(which  has  been  put  in  jeopardy  by  their  transac- 
tions), to  seek  some  other  channel  through  which  our 
contributions  may  flow  to  the  heathen,  until  these  af- 
flictive obstructions  are  removed  out  of  the  way." 


IOS  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Thus  was  sounded  the  note  of  alarm,  and  ground 
was  broken  for  the  organization  of  the  provisional 
Committee.  This  was  a  period  of  intense  excitement. 
In  the  North,  as  in  the  South,  men  took  the  position, 
that  however  right  it  may  be  to  condemn  slavery  by 
vote  in  a  meeting  of  citizens,  it  is  a  sin  to  condemn  it 
by  vote  in  a  convention  of  Christians.  "My kingdom 
is  not  of  this  world  "  —  "  Render  therefore  unto  Caesar 
the  things  that  are  Csesar's"  — were  texts  ever  on  the 
world's  broad  tongue. 

There  was  another  side  to'the  picture.  In  Hamilton, 
N.  Y.,  August  17,  1841,  the  American  Baptist  Anti- 
Slavery  Convention,  in  a  meeting  composed  of  two 
hundred  and  eight  prominent  Baptists,  declared, — 

1 .  That  the  system  of  American  slavery,  by  regard- 
ing immortal  men,  not  as  sentient  beings,  but  as  things 
or  chattels  personal  in  the  hands  of  their  owners,  is 
subversive  of  all  human  rights,  and  a  sin  against 
God,  who  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men. 

2.  That  immediate  repentance  of  the  sin  of  slavery 
is  the  duty  of  the  master,  and  immediate  emancipation, 
under  the  protection  of  law,  the  right  of  the  slave. 

3.  That  for  us  to  extend  the  hand  of  church  fellow- 
ship to  those  who  continue  to  practise,  or  in  any  way 
justify,  the  system  of  American  slavery  after  due  gos- 
pel labor,  is  virtually  to  bid  them  God  speed,  and 
thus  to  become  partakers  of  their  evil  deeds. 

4.  That  to  acknowledge  slavery  to  be  a  great  evil 
and  sin,  and  yet  to  put  forth  no  efforts  for  its  over- 
throw, and  especially  to  continue  our  unrestrained  fel- 
lowship with  those  who  practise  it,  is  palpably  incon- 
sistent with  the  obligations  of  the  disciples  of  Him  who 
was  manifested  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil. 


DISTINCT    MISSIONARY    SOCIETY.  IO9 

This  Convention,  composed  of  men  who  were  true  to 
the  slave,  among  whom  were  Jacob  Knapp,  Elon  Ga- 
lusha,  John  Blain,  Lewis  Raymond,  J.  L.  Hodge,  Cyrus 
P.  Grosvenor,  took  ground  in  favor  of  adhering  to 
the  Triennial  Convention  ;  but  "  if  any  cannot  con- 
scientiously contribute  their  funds  through  the  general 
treasury,  we  recommend  them  to  commit  such  free- 
will offerings  to  the  executive  committee  of  the  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Convention  through  their 
treasurer,  Simon  G.  Shipley,  Esq.,  of  Boston."  They 
declared  that  the  American  Colonization  Society's 
enterprise  not  only  passes  by  the  slave,  but  degrades 
the  free  negro,  while  it  opens  its  arms  to  receive  the 
lowest  class  of  white  emigrants  from  foreign  nations, 
and  elevates  them  to  a  participation  in  all  the  privi- 
leges of  our  institutions. 

Bold  and  uncompromising  as  were  the  positions 
taken,  they  failed  to  satisfy  the  time-honored  aboli- 
tionists of  Massachusetts.  Among  that  number  was 
Mr.  Gilbert.  He  did  not  believe  in  temporizing. 
From  the  first  he  took  the  most  ultra  position,  and 
refused  to  countenance  slavery  in  any  way  or  form. 
In  his  subscriptions  to  benevolent  societies,  he  made 
specifications  that  the  money  given  should  not  be 
used  to  aid  in  the  extension  of  slavery,  and  if  possi- 
ble that  it  should  be  used  to  eradicate  the  evil. 

In  April,  1842,  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver  publicly  took 
his  stand  in  favor  of  a  separate  missionary  organ- 
ization. Money  began  to  flow  in  for  the  support  of 
missions,  without  its  going  through  the  hands  of  the 
Board.  In  the  American  Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Con- 
vention,   held    in   Boston,  May  18,  1842,  Rev.  Elon 


IIO  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Galusha  in  the  chair,  the  following  resolution  passed 
unanimously :  — 

Resolved,  —  "That  at  the  commencement  of  the 
session,  this  afternoon,  special  prayer  be  offered  to 
God  for  wisdom  to  direct." 

In  compliance  with  the  resolve,  prayers  were  offered 
by  several  brethren  in  succession,  which  were  charac- 
terized by  deep  tenderness  and  solemnity.  The  crisis 
had  been  reached,  and  the  plan  of  the  provisional 
foreign  committee  was  adopted,  which,  after  setting 
forth  the  grievances  of  those,  who,  "while  they  believed 
it  to  be  the  duty  of  all  who  enjoy  the  privileges  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ  to  use  their  best  endeavors  to  furnish 
them  to  those  who  are  enshrouded  in  the  darkness  of 
heathenism,  —  the  genius  of  the  gospel  itself  being  that 
of  a  missionary  enterprise,  intended  to  enlighten  and 
recover  a  lost  world,  —  yet  felt  that  the  connection  of 
the  foreign  missionary  operations  with  slavery  was 
grossly  inconsistent  with  the  principles  of  the  gospel, 
resolved  to  open  a  new  channel  of  communication 
with  the  heathen,  and  with  our  missionaries  already  in 
the  field,  through  which  we  may  fulfil  our  obligation 
without  compromising  principle  or  weakening  our  tes- 
timony against  the  sin  of  slavery." 

Now  that  the  society  was  ready  for  business,  Tim- 
othy Gilbert  stepped  to  the  front,  and  was  elected 
treasurer,  and  at  once  set  about  opening  a  correspond- 
ence with  the  heathen  world. 

The  conflict  now  raged  all  along  the  lines.  The 
provisional  committee  was  denounced,  and  it  was  ap- 
plauded. Good  men  refused  to  sustain  it,  and  good 
men  came  to  its  aid.     In  the  front  of  this  battle  of 


THE    CHARACTER   OF   THE    CONFLICT.  Ill 

words  was  Nathaniel  Colver.  Charge  upon  him  from 
what  side  they  chose,  he  was  alike  invulnerable.  The 
church  now  met  in  Tremont  Chapel,  under  the  Boston 
Museum.  They  numbered  nearly  four  hundred  mem- 
bers, and  were  pronounced  "  a  devoted  and  efficient 
body  of  Christians." 

The  decks  were  cleared  for  action.  The  wants  of 
the  world  abroad  united  with  the  wants  of  the  world 
at  home  in  driving  God's  honored  columns  to  seek 
help  from  on  high.  This  period  of  consecration,  and 
of  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  slave,  preceded  a  pe- 
riod of  blessing  such  as  the  church  has  seldom  been 
permitted  to  enjoy.  The  fountain  was  made  full  at 
home,  that  the  stream  of  benevolence  might  flow  forth 
to  make  glad  the  waste  places  of  earth. 


112 


CHAPTER  VII. 

mr.  gilbert's  letter-book.  —  reflections  con- 
cerning the  duty  of  christian  men  and 
churches  to  the  slave  absorb  his  thoughts. 

and   flame    out   from  his  correspondence.  

the  provisional  committee  at  work.  corre- 
spondence with   missionaries    and    others.  

drs.  fuller  and  wayland   on   slavery. dr. 

Hague's   review. 

In  January.  1S41.  Air.  Gilbert  commenced  preserv- 
ing his  more  important  letters.  They  reveal  an  ex- 
tended and  comprehensive  system  of  benevolence,  a 
love  for  the  slave  that  never  falters,  and  a  watchful  eye 
over  the  interests  of  his  Masters  cause. 

In  these  letters  the  condition  of  the  denomination  is 
mirrored.  In  January.  1S40.  he  writes.  "Men  and 
women  here,  as  a  general  thing,  seem  to  be  attending 
to  everything  ]3ut  tne  one  thing  needful,  the  conversion 
of  the  soul.  The  wise  and  foolish  virgins  slumber 
together.  We  are  looking  and  praying  for  a  visit  from 
the  Saviour  with  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  At 
times  we  have  felt  that  he  was  at  the  door.  A  few 
mercy  drops  have  fallen,  but  when  we  look  at  the 
desolations  of  Zion  here,  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
country,  we  feel  the  need  of  divine  help."' 

To  Rev.  Jacob  Weston.  Jamaica,  he  sends  a  box, 


LETTERS    FROM    MR.    GILBERT.  II3 

with  cheering  tidings  concerning  the  spread  of  anti- 
slavery  views,  and  gives  an  account  of  a  discussion  in 
the  Kentucky  Legislature. 

To  a  missionary  just  starting  he  gives  excellent  ad- 
vice concerning  the  privations  to  be  encountered  and 
the  work  to  be  performed,  and  asks  him  to  "  consider 
that  these  trials  are  but  for  a  moment,  while  they 
promise  to  work  out  for  you  an  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory."  Later  he  writes,  "  The  cause  of 
emancipation  in  the  country  is  onward,  as  the  signs  of 
the  times  indicate,  although  most  of  the  churches,  both 
North  and  South,  are  on  the  side  of  the  oppressor.  If 
you  have  seen  the  doings  of  the  last  Triennial  Conven- 
tion, held  at  Baltimore,  as  reported  by  all  except  those 
opposed  to  abolition,  you  will  see  that  the  Board,  in 
their  individual  capacity,  have  taken  sides  in  favor  of 
the  slaveholders,  and  against  the  abolitionists,  and 
have  called  our  refusal  to  commune  with  slaveholders 
'  a  new  test  of  Christian  fellowship.'  But  the  Lord 
reigns,  and  has  brought,  and  is  bringing,  their  counsels 
to  nought,  and  will,  no  doubt,  carry  forward  his  cause 
by  it,  and  thus  make  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him." 
August  11,  1841,  because  of  the  exclusion  of  the  claims 
of  the  dumb  and  suffering  slave  from  the  columns 
of  the  "Watchman,"  with  regret  he  withdraws  his 
countenance  and  support.  December  9,  1841,  he 
writes  Rev.  C.  P.  Grosvenor,  that  there  is  a  feeling 
in  the  minds  of  many  brethren  that  another  man  would 
be  less  objectionable  as  the  editor  of  the  "  Reflector. " 
On  reflection  he  fears  he  may  have  injured  his  feelings, 
and  writes  him  a  letter  full  of  assurances  of  sympathy 
and  of  appreciation,  and  adds,  "  Yet  I  am  compelled  to 


114  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

admit  that,  with  many,  your  name  is  objectionable. " 
As  a  result,  his  name  is  dropped,  and,  in  1842,  the 
paper  appears  without  a  nominal  editor,  but  under 
the  supervision  of  Simon  G.  Shipley,  J.  W.  Parker, 
and  Clement  Drew.  January  29,  1842,  he  writes  his 
brother,  "We  are  in  the  'midst  of  a  gracious  revival. 
The  Lord  is  pouring  out  his  spirit  and  converting 
sinners.  Many  have,  as  we  hope,  passed  from  death 
unto  life,  and  many  more  are  pressing  into  the  king- 
dom. Elder  Knapp  is  laboring  here,  and  his  labors 
have  been  much  blessed.  Although  he  has  been 
opposed  by  the  enemies  of  God,  yet  the  opposition  has 
been  overruled  for  God's  glory,  and  the  work  pro- 
gresses. Although  you  are  away  from  it,  yet  you  are 
as  near  the  Saviour  in  your  lonely  dwelling  as  we  are 
in  Boston ;  and  if  you  offer  him  the  humble  and  con- 
trite heart,  he  will  just  as  readily  own  and  dwell  with 
you  there  as  here."  February  17,  1842,  he  writes  John 
Sartain  relative  to  the  engraving  of  Jacob  Knapp,  and 
makes  arrangement  to  have  it  finished  in  the  highest 
style  of  art.  Letters  now  follow  to  a  relative,  chiding 
him  for  negligence  and  sloth  ;  to  a  friend  in  England, 
inquiring  about  the  character  of  a  guest  in  his  house, 
who  came  a  stranger  in  the  name  of  a  disciple ;  to 
dear  brother  John  W.  Wilson  in  Georgia,  who  wants 
to  borrow  money,  and  who  finds  great  trouble  in 
getting  on  in  the  South.  August  13,  1842,  he  with- 
draws from  the  committee  of  the  Massachusetts  Abo- 
lition Society,  for  want  of  time  to  attend  to  its  duties, 
but  continues  his  support.  September  14,  1842,  he 
opens  an  account  with  Baring,  Brother,  &  Co.,  Lon- 
don, and  sends  one  hundred  pounds  to  Rev.  Adoniram 


LETTER   TO    DR.  JUDSON.  115 

Judson,  as   treasurer   of   the   provisional   committee, 
with  the  following  letter  :  — 

"  Rev.  Adoniram  Judson.  Dear  Brother :  The 
provisional  foreign  mission  committee  of  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Convention  have  voted  to 
appropriate  five  hundred  dollars,  to  be  forwarded 
to  you,  to  be  expended  by  yourself  and  brother  Wade 
in  Burmah,  for  the  mission  cause.  In  case  you  should 
not  sympathize  with  our  conscientious  views,  you  will 
consult  with  brethren  Wade  and  Kincaid,  and  if  either 
or  both  enter  into  our  views,  so  far  as  to  prefer  to  re- 
ceive their  support  in  whole  or  in  part  from  us,  they 
may  rely  upon  our  remitting  immediately  and  regularly 
the  requisite  amount.  We  do  not  wish  those  who 
shall  elect  to  be  thus  supported,  to  separate  themselves 
from  the  old  Board,  unless  they  prefer  it,  but  are  will- 
ing they  should  maintain  their  old  relations,  report 
through  that  channel,  while  they  acknowledge  the  re- 
ceipt of  funds  from  the  committee.  This  arrange- 
ment is  designed  to  continue  so  long  as  that  Board 
shall  maintain  its  present  ground  in  favor  of  slavery. 

Permit  me  to  say,  that  nearly  all  of  the  abolition- 
ists are  hearty  friends  of  the  cause  of  missions  abroad 
and  at  home  ;  but  while  they  help  the  heathen  in  India, 
they  are  not  willing  to  forget  three  millions  of  oppressed 
heathen  in  America,  who  are  forbidden  access  to  the 
Word  of  God,  and  who  cannot  be  taught  to  read  the 
Bible  except  severe  penalties  are  incurred  by  the 
person  thus  guilty  of  instructing  them.  And  this 
wickedness  is  sustained  by  professing  Christians  and  by 
Baptists.    Will  not  God  be  avenged  on  such  a  relation 


Il6  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

as  this?  We  beg  you  to  view  this  subject  in  the  light 
of  truth  and  righteousness,  remembering  that  heathen 
at  home  are  being  sold  by  professed  Christians  to  ob- 
tain money  to  send  the  gospel  to  heathen  abroad." 

In  October  he  writes  again,  and  forwards  docu- 
ments :  ;*  We  hope  you  will  candidly  review  this 
record  of  the  doings  of  the  Triennial  Convention  at 
Baltimore,  and  the  action  of  our  committee,  and  let 
your  testimony  go  forth  to  the  churches  in  this  country 
in  favor  of  the  heathen  here,  as  well  as  the  heathen  in 
India.  Surely  if  there  is  any  class  of  men  in  the 
world,  of  whom  it  can  be  said  they  have  no  helper,  it 
is  the  slave  in  our  own  country.  Husbands  are  sepa- 
rated from  wives,  children  are  torn  from  parents,  and 
yet  a  system  legalizing  these  atrocities  is  justified  by 
ministers  and  churches  who  profess  the  religion  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  O  that  God  would  influence  his 
servants  in  far  distant  lands  to  lift  up  a  wail  in  be- 
half of  those  whose  cry  has  been  stifled  and  shut  out 
because  of  the  power  of  their  oppressors,  which  has 
controlled  the  Mission  Board,  and  made  them  willing 
to  suppress  this  cry,  lest  the  slaveholder  should  not 
give  his  money  and  sustain  their  operations,  as  though 
money  could  convert  the  heathen,  while  God  has  said, 
CI  hate  robbery  for  a  sacrifice'  !  We  do  not  wish 
injury  to  the  perpetrators  of  those  deeds,  but  w^e  ask 
that  they  may  repent  their  folly  before  they  meet  these 
crushed  ones  at  the  bar  of  Jehovah.  We  believe  that 
a  proper  testimony  from  the  missionaries  would  do 
much  towards  setting  the  churches  and  the  ministers, 
and  through  them  the  nation,  right,  and  leading  our 


MISSIONARY   LETTERS.  Il7 

rulers   to    establish  justice  and  righteousness   in   the 
land." 

On  November  9,  there  appeared  in  the  "  Reflector  " 
a  letter  from  Rev.  D.  L.  Brayton,  missionary  at  Mer- 
gui,  British  Burmah,  which  indorsed  the  position  of 
the  Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Society,  and  used  this  lan- 
guage :  "  The  awful  fact  that  the  Bible  is  kept  from 
the  slave,  is  a  consideration  which  has  always  most 
deeply  affected  my  heart.  .  .  .  Another  thing  I  have 
thought  much  of,  is,  the  inconsistency  of  those  who 
say,  '  We  are  as  much  opposed  to  slavery  as  you  are.' 
These  brethren  acknowledge  slavery  to  be  a  sin. 
Now,  the  Bible  expressly  says,  '  Suffer  not  sin  to  rest 
upon  a  brother/  The  Bible  commands,  4  Search  the 
Scriptures ; '  slavery  prohibits  it.  My  wife  and  self 
observe  the  monthly  concert  for  slaves,  and  feel  deeply 
to  sympathize  with  you  in  all  your  opposition  and  toil 
in  this  great  and  good  work.  We  are  happy  to  know 
of  your  success  thus  far,  and  trust  that  the  time  is  not 
far  distant  when  the  rights  of  man  shall  be  universally 
acknowledged,  felt,  and  acted  out  by  his  fellow-man." 
In  the  same  paper,  Timothy  Gilbert  appears  in  print : 
"  A  brother  from  Hartford  informs  us  that  one  of  the 
authorized  agents  of  the  old  Board  stated  that  the 
five  hundred  dollars  voted  to  them  by  the  provisional 
committee  had  not  been  paid  over,  and  suggested  the 
query,  whether  the  committee  had  the  funds ;  and  if 
so,  why  not  pay  them  over,  as  the  income  was  small, 
and  the  expense  of  agencies  was  great?  In  answer 
to  which,  he,  and  all  others  who  desire  to  know  the 
facts,  are  informed,  that  the  committee  never  voted 
either  five  hundred  dollars,  or  any  other  sum,  to  the 


IlS  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

old  Board,  but  voted  that  five  hundred  dollars  be  sent 
to  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Judson  and  Wade  ;  and  they  have 
just  received  advices  from  the  mercantile  house  in 
London  through  which  the  money  was  sent,  that  it 
has  been  forwarded  by  the  overland  mail  to  Mr.  Jud- 
son. The  committee  have  seven  hundred  dollars  on 
hand,  and  will,  no  doubt,  soon  have  missionaries  of 
their  own  in  the  field,  unless  the  old  Board  retract 
their  testimony  which  they  have  given  in  favor  of 
slavery,  and  against  those  who  were  trying  to  purify 
the  churches  from  it,  so  that  we  can  again  cooperate 
together."  December  7,  letters  from  Mrs.  D.  B.  S. 
Wade  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Judson  fanned  the  flame  which 
was  spreading  throughout  the  North.  "  It  seems  to 
us,"  said  Mrs.  Wade,  "  passing  strange  that  any  per- 
son having  a  true  missionary  spirit  should  not,  of 
course,  be  an  abolitionist.  Can  you  suggest  any  plan 
for  benefiting  those  now  groaning  in  bondage  ?  There 
is  one  subject  which  has  pressed  heavily  upon  my 
heart,  and  I  have  found  relief  only  by  carrying  it,  as  I 
do  the  wrongs  of  my  poor  brethren  in  bonds,  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  that  is  the  unkind  and  unchristian 
spirit  often  manifested  by  abolitionists.  And  I  fear 
that  this  has  grieved  away  the  Spirit  and  presence  of 
God  from  many  of  those  who  have  advocated  a  cause 
precious  in  his  sight.  This  I  fear  more  than  all  the 
apologists  of  slavery  can  do,  for  all  our  hope  for  the 
poor  slave  is  in  God.  It  is  true  we  are  to  have  no 
6  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness,  but 
rather  reprove  them ; '  but,  then,  what  compassion, 
what  gentleness,  what  forbearance,  what  kindness, 
does  the  situation  of  our  poor  slaveholding  brethren 


BARON   STOWS    DENIAL.  II9 

require  from  us?  Ought  we  not  to  feel  for  them,  even 
as  Christ  did,  when  he  wept  over  Jerusalem?" 

"  Though  we  live  in  a  dark,  heathen  land,"  said 
Mrs.  Judson,  "  where  our  ears  are  daily  assailed,  and 
our  hearts  constantly  pained,  by  exhibitions  of  moral 
wretchedness,  yet  this  cannot  drown  the  loud  and  bit- 
ter cry  of  slavery,  as  it  is  borne  to  us,  from  time  to 
time,  over  the  wide  ocean,  from  the  distant  shores  of 
our  beloved,  though  guilty  country.  The  friends  of 
emancipation  are  engaged  in  a  fearful  contest,  but  it  is 
a  contest  of  light  with  darkness,  of  justice  with  op- 
pression, and  the  final  victory  is,  therefore,  certain. 
A  system  so  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  our  blessed 
Saviour,  so  fraught  with  violence  and  oppression  to 
man,  for  whom  he  died,  must  inevitably  give  way,  as 
the  influence  of  that  heavenly  spirit  becomes  more 
and  more  prevalent." 

In  the  same  number  we  find  a  denial,  from  the  hand 
of  Baron  Stow,  of  "  pledged  neutrality,"  saying,  "  I 
never  authorized  any  person  or  persons  to  give  any 
pledge  in  my  behalf,  or  to  create  any  '  understanding ' 
in  any  mind  with  respect  to  my  future  course ;  and  I 
have  yet  to  learn  how  '  the  southern  delegation '  were 
led  to  consider  me  as  ;  pledged '  to  '  neutrality/  or  as 
in  any  sense  engaged  '  to  have  nothing  more  to  do 
with  Anti-Slavery  Conventions.'  "  The  tide  was 
rising. 

Returning  to  the  letter-book,  we  find,  January  10, 
1843,  a  letter  in  regard  to  Rev.  Jacob  Knapp's  con- 
templated visit  to  Washington,  "  to  attack  the  strong- 
hold of  the  devil  in  another  form  from  the  one  in 
which  you  are  engaged.     I  trust,  if  he  is  successful, 


120  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

it  will  be  an  entering  wedge,  which  will,  with  the  one 

you  are  driving,  help  rend  asunder  the  bonds  of 
slavery.  As  Mr,  Knapp  is  an  avowed  abolitionist, 
and.  among  other  sins,  does  not  fail  to  expose  slavery, 
I  hope  you  will  do  all  you  can  to  strengthen  his  hands 
while  among  those  who  may,  I  fear,  thirst  for  his 
blood  ;  and  if  it  is  not  too  great  a  favor,  please  keep 
me  informed  of  the  progress  of  the  work." 

May  ii.  1S43.  ^r-  G.  writes  Rev.  J.  Wade,  Tavoy, 
Burmah,  in  which  he  communicates  the  fact,  that 
"  the  Female  Missionary  Society  of  the  Tremont 
Street  church  sends  a  bell,  weighing  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  to  be  used  on  his  chapel  in  Burmah ; 
documents  of  American  Baptist  Anti-Slavery  Society  ; 
and  the  information  that  the  committee  have  seventeen 
hundred  dollars,  which  they  will  use  to  establish  some 
new  mission  disconnected  with  slaveholders,  or  for 
the  support  of  some  of  the  missionaries  now  in  the 
field,  should  any  of  them  signify  a  wish  to  receive  sup- 
port from  such  a  source.  The  majority  of  the  aboli- 
tionists have  not  so  much  objection  to  receive  the 
money  of  slaveholders,  as  to  be  associated  with  them 
in  evangelizing  the  world,  and  thus,  by  the  copartner- 
ship, acknowledge  them  to  be  Christians  in  good 
standing  in  the  Baptist  church,  instead  of  bearing  our 
testimony  against  them,  and  conniving  with  the  in- 
junction. ;  Come  out  from  amongst  them,  and  be  ye 
separate.'  s  Have  no  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful 
works  of  darkness,  but  rather  reprove  them.'  Should 
the  whole  Christian  church  bear  their  united  testimony 
against  slavery,  as  against  every  other  sin,  I  believe  it 
would  soon  wither  under  the  rebuke  :    but  so  long  as 


MEETING    OF    THE    FOREIGN    BOARD.  121 

there  are  slaveholders  in  the  southern  portion  of  our 
country,  and  those  who  justify  and  apologize  for  it  in 
other  sections,  connected  with  and  fellowshiped  by 
the  church  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  where  shall  we 
look  for  the  salt  to  purify  the  fountain  from  this  awful 
pollution,  if  it  is  not  found  in  the  church  of  Christ?" 
In  a  letter  to  Rev.  L.  Ingalls,  same  date,  he  says, 
"  The  abolitionists  think  that  slaveholders  should  not 
be  regarded  as  members  in  good  standing  in  the 
Baptist  church,  and  thus  object  to  any  connection 
that  shall  be  considered  as  indorsing  their  Christian 
character." 

In  April,  1843,  the  Baptist  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions held  its  anniversary  in  Albany.  A  resolution 
passed  unanimously,  without  discussion  and  writh  very 
little  remark,  which,  it  was  hoped,  would  afford  relief 
and  gratification  to  many  anxious  minds.  For  the 
first  time  the  subject  of  slavery  is  introduced  into  the 
report  of  the  doings  of  the  Board.  "Whereas  it  ap- 
pears to  have  been  extensively  understood,  that  by 
certain  transactions  at  Baltimore,  during  the  last  ses- 
sion of  the  Convention,  the  neutral  attitude  of  the 
Board,  in  relation  to  slavery,  was  changed,  therefore, 
Resolved,  —  That  the  circular  issued  by  the  Acting 
Board,  in  the  year  1840,  asserting  '  their  neutrality  on 
all  subjects  not  immediately  connected  with  the  great 
work  to  which  they  are  especially  appointed,'  be  re- 
issued and  printed  with  the  report  of  this  year,  as  ex- 
pressive of  the  sentiments  and  position  of  the  Board." 
In  that  circular,  the  positions  were  taken,  that  the 
"  exclusive  object  of  the  founders  of  the  General  Con- 
vention, as  expressed  in  the  preamble  to  the  constitu- 
6 


123  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

tion,  was  to  send  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  the 
heathen,  and  to  nations  destitute  of  pure  gospel  light;  " 
that  the  fathers  were  careful  to  lay  no  obstructions  in 
the  way  of  any  individual  contributing  to  its  funds  ; 
that  by  the  constitution  the  right  to  a  seat  or  represen- 
tation in  the  Convention  is  based  on  two  conditions  : 
First,  that  the  religious  body,  or  the  individual,  be  of 
the  Baptist  denomination  ;  and,  second,  that  the  same 
shall  have  contributed  to  the  treasury  of  the  Con- 
vention a  specified  annual  sum  ;  and  that  in  regard 
to  the  continuance  of  Christian  fellowship  between 
northern  and  southern  churches,  it  does  not  come 
under  their  cognizance  in  any  form,  nor  within  scope 
of  the  Convention  with  its  present  constitution.  "  The 
churches  are  independent  communities  ;  they  can  exer- 
cise no  authority  over  one  another  ;  they  have  delegated 
no  power  to  individuals  or  associations,  within  the 
knowledge  of  the  Board,  to  act  for  them."  In  reply 
to  the  circular  of  the  provisional  committee,  Rev. 
Solomon  Peck,  D.  D.,  corresponding  secretary,  used 
this  language  :  "  The  neutrality  of  the  Board  has  not 
been  yielded  either  at  Baltimore  or  elsewhere.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  of  our  proceedings,  since  the  first  agita- 
tion of  the  subject  of  slavery,  it  has  been  our  earnest 
endeavor,  as  it  was  our  avowed  policy,  to  mind  ex- 
clusively  the  missionary  duties  to  which  we  had  been 
called." 

On  May  3,  1843,  the  American  Baptist  Anti-Slavery 
Convention,  among  other  resolves,  hastened  to  declare 
the  action  of  the  Board  of  Missions  satisfactory,  and 
"  provided  for  the  continuance  of  the  provisional  com- 
mittee for  the  purpose  of  making  a  proper  appropria- 


NEW   MISSIONARY    SOCIETY.  1 23 

tion  of  missionary  funds  now  on  hand,  and  to  receive 
such  future  donations  as  would  not  otherwise  be  made 
by  those  who  cannot  conscientiously  contribute  to  the 
support  of  missions  through  the  channel  of  the  present 
Board."  As  a  result,  a  new  organization,  known  as 
the  American  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  was 
formed.  Mr.  Gilbert  did  not  unite  with  it  for  reasons 
which  were  to  him  satisfactory.  u  When  I  shall  be- 
come convinced,"  he  writes  to  the  "  Reflector,"  "  that 
there  is  no  good  reason  to  hope  that  the  old  missionary 
organization  will  purge  itself  from  the  charge  of  re- 
ceiving money  in  such  a  way  as  to  enter  into  a  co- 
partnership with  slaveholders,  and  giving  its  sanction 
to  that  wicked  institution,  then  I  shall  be  prepared  to 
abandon  them,  not  provisionally,  but  forever."  Au- 
gust 9,  1843,  a  letter  from  Dr.  Judson  was  published, 
in  which  he  acknowledges  the  money,  and  speaks  en- 
couragingly of  the  prospect  of  Mr.  Chandler  and  others 
acceding  to  the  terms  proposed.  In  a  note,  published 
August  23,  1843,  after  regretting  the  unadvised  publi- 
cation of  Dr.  Judson's  letter,  he  expresses  the  wish, 
"  that  the  missionaries  and  the  anti-slavery  brethren 
at  home  should  not  anticipate  the  result  of  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Triennial  Convention,  but  continue  to 
pray,  that  after  that  meeting,  no  obstacle  may  continue 
to  prevent  the  cooperation  of  all  the  enemies  of  op- 
pression in  the  missionary  enterprise." 

Turning  now  to  the  letter-book,  we  are  prepared 
to  understand  the  statements  made  in  a  note,  dated 
September  27,  1843,  and  addressed  to  Rev.  J.  Wade. 
"  If  you  have  written  the  old  Board  of  your  determi- 
nation, you  will,  no  doubt,  before  you  receive  this,  or 


124  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

by  the  same  conveyance,  have  received  a  letter  from 
them,  stating  that  our  committee  is  dead  ;  or  perhaps 
thev  may  say  the  difficulty  is  all  settled.  That  you 
may  have  a  true  statement  of  the  facts,  I  will  endeavor 
to  give  them  to  you  in  brief.  At  the  meeting  held  in 
Albany  the  Board  reaffirmed  their  neutrality,  and  re- 
printed the  circular  of  1840.  As  the  maintenance  of 
neutrality  was  all  the  majority  of  the  abolitionists  re- 
quired, they  have  done  little  besides  reiterating  their 
understanding  of  the  position  taken  by  the  Board,  and 
the  character  of  the  compromise  made. 

"  A  portion  of  the  abolitionists  determined  to  wait 
another  year  before  forming  a  new  missionary  organ- 
ization, contenting  themselves  with  the  provisional 
committee,  which  was  formed  to  meet  an  emergency, 
but  expected  to  end  in  a  permanent  organization,  un- 
less the  Triennial  Convention  should  by  an  unmistak- 
able vote  obliterate  the  record  which  gave  sanction  to 
the  sin  of  slavery. 

"  A  portion  of  the  abolitionists  thinking  otherwise, 
have  formed  a  new  missionary  organization ,  to  be 
forever  separated  from  the  sin  of  slavery.  I  did  not 
enter  the  new  organization,  preferring  to  wait  so  long 
as  there  is  the  least  ground  for  hope  that  the  difficul- 
ties may  be  settled.  In  the  mean  time  the  provisional 
committee  will  disburse  funds  which  may  be  intrusted 
to  them. 

"We  feel  that  God  requires  of  us  to  seek  to  purify 
the  churches  of  this  awful  sin,  believing  that  the  power 
of  the  church  is  essential  to  its  eradication  from  the 
world.  You  ask,  '  Do  professing  Christians  keep 
their  slaves  in  ignorance  of  the  gospel?'     They  most 


LETTER    TO    MR.    WADE.  1 25 

assuredly  do.  The  laws  of  every  slave  state  make  it 
a  great  offence  to  teach  a  slave  to  read.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  some  are  taught  to  read  in  secret  by  those 
who  commiserate  their  condition,  and  have  the  moral 
courage  to  do  right  —  say  perhaps  one  in  a  hundred  ; 
the  remainder  are  excluded  from  all  knowledge  of  the 
letter  of  the  gospel. 

"  Your  views  in  relation  to  receiving  money  from 
slaveholders  correspond  with  my  own.  I  am  per- 
fectly willing  to  receive  funds,  but  would  not  solicit 
them  for  missions  from  a  distiller,  a  rum-seller,  or  a 
slaveholder.  Nor  would  I  receive  them,  if  by  so  do- 
ing I  should  lead  him  to  think  that  I  fellowshipped 
his  sin.  If  I  faithfully  expose  and  rebuke  his  sin  in 
violating  the  law  of  God,  then,  if  after  this  he  should 
offer  me  money  for  the  heathen,  I  should  receive  it ; 
but  at  the  same  time  I  should  tell  him  that  nothing 
but  repentance  towards  God,  and  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 
could  in  any  measure  remove  the  guilt  of  his  trans- 
gression. It  is  not  because  the  old  Board  has  re- 
ceived the  money  of  slaveholders  that  we  object  to 
their  course,  but  because  with  the  reception  of  the 
money  there  has  been  a  tacit  admission  of  the  Chris- 
tian character  of  the  slaveholder,  seen  in  his  being 
placed  upon  the  Board,  and  in  his  being  welcomed  as 
a  brother  beloved  in  the  Lord.  Against  this  the 
abolitionists  protested.  For  this  they  were  left  off 
from  the  Board,  and  the  brand  of  public  condemnation 
was  affixed  to  the  name  of  Elon  Galusha."  In  con- 
clusion he  informs  the  missionary  that  nothing  he 
may  write  to  the  old  Board  on  this  subject  is  permit- 
ted to  find  its  way  to  the  public  through  the  press,  or 
is  accessible  to  us  who  may  wish  to  learn  your  views." 


1 26  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

In  the  '-Reflector"  of  October  n.  1S43.  the  note 
of  triumph  was  sounded,  and  the  intelligence  is  com- 
municated to  the  public  that  Rev.  J.  Wade,  of  Tavoy, 

has  thrown  himself  upon  the  provisional  committee 
for   support,   desiring  to   t  1  ned   separate   from 

the  unpaid  toils  of  the  slave.  "  This  to  me  is  a 
matter  of  joy  and  thanksgiving,  inasmuch  as  slavery 
must  be  driven  from  the  church  before  it  can  be 
driven  from  the  world  :  and  I  trust  that  this  decision 
of  brother  Wade  will  ultimately  do  more  to  take  away 
from  slavery  the  shield  that  the  churches  of  our  de- 
nomination have  thrown  around  it.  than  any  one  act. 
besides,  since  the  commencement  of  the  anti-slavery 
feeling  in  the  land.  A  meeting  of  the  provisional  com- 
mittee was  held,  and  Rev.  Duncan  Dunbar  led  in 
prayer.  It  was  voted  to  adopt  Rev.  J.  Wade  as  mis- 
sionary, and  make  arrangements  for  remittance  of 
funds,  while  the  letter  of  acceptance  in  which  the 
missionary  stated  the  reasons  for  his  action,  was  sent 
to  the  -Reflector5  for  publication."  In  this  letter 
proof  has  been  furnished  that  God.  by  his  Spirit, 
worked  upon  the  hearts  of  his  servants  in  mission 
lands,  leading  them  to  take  a  decided  stand  against 
the  foul  system  of  slavery,  which  had  nearly  crushed 
our  missionary  operations  by  its  deadly  embrace,  while 
the  few  devoted  followers  of  Christ  were  taking  a 
decided  stand  in  opposition  to  the  on-rushing  tide  of 
evil.  His  words  bore  the  ring  of  the  warrior  and  the 
burning  glow  of  a  Christian's  zeal.  "  How  slave- 
holders can  give  their  money  to  send  the  gospel  to  the 
distant  heathen,  and  yet  approve  of  a  policv  which 
keeps  their  slaves  in  ignorance  of  the  same  gospel,  is 


MR.    WADE'S    ANSWER.  12>J 

to  me  a  paradox.  Slavery,  as  it  exists  in  America,  is, 
I  consider,  a  monstrous  evil,  both  to  the  master  and 
to  the  slave  ;  an  outrage  upon  justice,  a  disgrace  to 
the  American  flag,  and  the  reverse  of  all  Christian 
principles.  I  cannot  suppose  that  it  will  survive  the 
first  dawnings  of  the  millennial  age.  I  need  not  advert 
to  Mrs.  Wade's  views  on  this  subject.  It  is  enough  to 
say  she  is  a  member  of  a  female  anti-slavery  society, 
and  will  of  course  be  gratified  to  know  that  no  part 
of  our  support  is  to  be  derived  from  the  unpaid  toil 
of  the  slave." 

"  The  committee  pledges  itself  to  sustain  any  mis- 
sionary who  prefers  to  receive  his  support  in  whole 
or  in  part,  rather  than  be  a  partaker  of  the  contribu- 
tions of  slaveholders.  This  I  prefer.  I  suppose  the 
committee  means  to  be  understood  as  saying  it  will 
give  the  same  support  that  the  Board  now  gives,  and 
that  what  are  termed  extra  expenses  will  be  paid  by 
it  as  they  now  are  by  the  Board.  With  these  provisos 
I  cheerfully  accept  the  pledge,  —  not  that  I  feel  so 
conscientious  about  receiving  support  from  slavehold- 
ers that  I  would  sooner  give  up  my  work  and  leave 
the  heathen  to  die  ignorant  of  the  gospel  than  receive 
such  support,  for  I  think,  though  slaveholders  will  not 
do  justice  to  their  slaves,  yet  the  Lord  has  claims  upon 
them  relative  to  his  cause  among  the  heathen  ;  but  so 
far  as  receiving  such  support  goes  to  strengthen  sla- 
very, I  wish  to  discard  it." 

In  regard  to  the  condition  of  affairs,  Mr.  W.  writes, 
"  I  felt  persuaded  there  was  some  cause,  besides  the 
hardness  of  the  times,  for  the  reduction  of  that  mighty 
stream,  which,  a  few  years  ago,  was  pouring  into  the 


I2S  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

treasury,  to  so  diminutive  a  rill  as  at  present.  Why 
should  missionaries  be  recalled,  schools,  and  other 
means  for  evangelizing  the  heathen  which  have  been 
prosperously  commenced,  be  abandoned  for  want  of 
funds,  while  nothing  is  wanting  to  supply  them  but 
a  proper  channel  through  which  they  may  flow  with- 
out doing  violence  to  the  conscience  ?  The  doings  of 
the  committee  have  anticipated  the  very  thing  which 
I  proposed  to  brother  Kincaid  to  attempt,  if  he  should 
see  cause  for  it." 

Thus,  it  appears,  the  provisional  committee  met  a 
felt  want  of  the  denomination,  and  kept  open  the 
channels  of  benevolence  in  regions  where  the  sins  of 
a  pro-slavery  church  had  served  to  quench  the  flowing 
forth  of  the  stream  from  the  fountains  of  loving  and 
believing  hearts. 

In  a  letter  dated  October  14,  1843,  Mr.  Gilbert  ad- 
dresses the  following  cheering  words  to  the  uncompro- 
mising missionary :  "  The  committee  rejoice  in  the 
opportunity  to  sustain  a  missionary  who  will  join 
with  us  in  bearing  his  testimony  against  one  of  the 
crying  sins  of  the  nation.  You  may  rely  upon  it, 
that  your  conduct  will  thrill  with  joy  the  hearts  of 
those  who  have  sighed  and  cried  over  the  abomina- 
tions that  are  done  in  the  land  ;  and  we  doubt  not  but 
it  will  be,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  an  important 
means  in  bringing  the  churches  to  the  decision  that 
slaveholding  is  inconsistent  with  good  Christian  char- 
acter. You  need  have  no  fear  but  that  you  will  be 
amply  sustained  by  those  who  feel  opposed  to  the 
American  system  of  slavery. 

"  We  wish  you  to  understand  distinctly  that  the  old 


TO    MR.    WADE   AGAIN.  1 29 

Board  has  studiously  withheld  from  publication  every- 
thing you  have  written  on  this  subject.  They  do  not 
hesitate,  in  many  instances,  to  misrepresent  us  and  our 
motives,  by  claiming  that  we  desire  to  break  up  estab- 
lished order  in  society.  True,  there  are  abolitionists 
who  have  acted  with  us,  as  well  as  many  who  have 
been  connected  with  the  churches,  that  have  gone  off 
in  favor  of  woman's  rights,  no  government,  &c,  &c, 
but  those  who  act  with  the  provisional  committee,  as 
well  as  the  great  body  of  the  abolitionists  connected  with 
our  organization,  are  church-going  and  church-sup- 
porting people,  who  believe  and  sustain  the  distinguish- 
ing doctrines  of  the  Bible  and  of  the  Reformation,  and 
are  hearty  supporters  of  those  who  preach  Christ  and 
him  crucified  as  the  only  hope  of  the  sinner,  and  that 
without  any  compromise  with  Unitarianism  or  Univer- 
salism.  While  this  is  true  of  Christian  abolitionists, 
it  may  be  said  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the  pro-slavery 
portion  of  the  church  that  they  wish  to  let  alone  the 
popular  sins  of  the  day,  when  opposing  them  exposes 
to  public  censure.  For  myself,  —  and  I  may  say  the 
same  thing  of  my  brethren,  —  we  acknowledge  no  mas- 
ters in  the  flesh,  and  deem  it  our  first  duty  to  inquire 
as  to  the  will  of  God :  if,  with  the  best  light  we  can 
obtain,  we  feel  that  he  will  commend,  we  go  forward, 
feeling  that,  while  duty  is  ours,  consequences  belong 
to  God.  This,  I  think,  should  be  the  course  pursued 
by  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  spirit 
must  animate  the  missionaries  abroad,  or  their  labors 
will  be  barren  of  results  ;  for,  no  doubt,  the  policy  that 
makes  the  pro-slavery  church  dumb  in  the  presence  of 
the  Moloch  of  slavery,  would  tempt  the  missionary  to 
6* 


130  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

try  and  win  the  favor  of  the  heathen  by  compromis- 
ing truth,  in  hope  thereby  of  getting  their  good  will, 
so  that  by  and  by  they  might  gain  greater  influence 
over  them.  We  hope,  however,  that  you  will  never 
attempt  any  such  compromise,  but  will  unflinchingly 
do  the  Lord's  will.  We  may  add  that  your  past 
course  gives  the  most  unequivocal  assurances  of  your 
conduct  for  the  future." 

"  As  to  your  relations  with  the  old  Board,  I  will 
say  that  there  is  very  little  probability-  that  they  will 
allow  you  to  receive  your  support  from  us,  and  yet 
be  considered  their  missionary.  I  fear  they  will  dis- 
card vou  altogether  for  this  act,  unless  they  entertain 
a  hope  of  your  retracting  in  future.  All  we  ask  them 
to  do,  is  to  withdraw  their  shield  from  the  slaveholders, 
and  no  longer  defend  or  vindicate  their  Christian  char- 
acter while  they  cling  to  that  sin  ;  but  this  they  re- 
fuse to  do.  They  condemn  our  action,  and  stand  as  a 
barrier  between  us  and  the  slaveholders.  I  write  this 
with  pain,  yet  fidelity  to  you  makes  a  plain  statement 
of  the  case  a  duty.  But  let  us  rejoice  because  of  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  in  our  midst,  and  of  the  provi- 
dences which  are  fast  driving  slavery  from  its  hiding- 
place  in  the  church  of  Christ.  We  have  much  to  en- 
courage us  in  the  signs  of  the  times  in  this  country ; 
and  I  verily  believe  that  those  who  cleave  to  that 
abomination  will  soon  be  crushed  with  it,  as  those 
were  among  the  Philistines  when  Samson  bowed  his 
head  and  bore  away  the  pillars  of  the  temple.  I  pray 
God  that  he  may  cause  his  people  to  come  out  from 
among  the  defenders  of  slavery,  and  thus  purge  his 
church.     It  is  the  desire  of  the  committee  that  har- 


MR.    GILBERTS    DEFENCE.  13I 

mony  may  characterize  the  councils  and  labors  of  the 
missionary,  and  that  there  may  be  no  strife  because 
of  the  spirit  of  dissension  born  of  the  discussion  of 
slavery  at  home.  Be  Jesus  Christ's  men.  Let  there 
be  no  other  strife  than  to  see  who  shall  be  most  like 
his  Master  in  devotion  to  the  interests  of  humanity, 
and  in  bearing  an  uncompromising  testimony  against 
sin." 

At  this  time  the  "Watchman"  accused  Deacon 
Gilbert  of  inconsistency,  because  he  was  willing  to 
receive  the  money  of  slaveholders  in  exchange  for 
merchandise.  In  reply,  he  says,  "  I  consider  money 
or  produce,  whether  by  the  unpaid  toil  of  the  slave 
or  in  any  other  way,  articles  that  may  be  rightly  re- 
ceived for  pianos  or  any  other  goods,  without  inquiring 
as  to  the  source  from  whence  they  come.  Those  ar- 
ticles are  neither  better  nor  worse  for  passing  through 
my  hands  or  the  hands  of  a  slaveholder  ;  otherwise  we 
must  go  out  of  the  world  for  money,  to  get  that  which 
we  could  be  sure  had  never  been  paid  for  unrighteous 
uses.  It  is  not  the  money,  but  the  price  paid  for  it, 
which  makes  it  corrupt  in  the  hands  of  the  holder, 
whether  that  price  be  a  fellow-man  or  his  unpaid  la- 
bors, or  barely  the  extending  our  Christian  fellowship, 
as  is  the  case  with  those  who  now  receive  the  slave- 
holder's money  for  missions  ;  for  I  presume  it  will 
not  be  denied  that  the  withdrawal  of  such  fellowship 
would  as  effectually  exclude  their  money  as  a  direct 
refusal  to  receive  it ;  the  first  we  are  bound  to  do  for 
the  benefit  of  the  slaveholder  as  well  as  the  slave,  but 
the  last  I  think  we  have  no  right  to  do.  Although 
slaveholders  may  buy  my  goods,  they  cannot,  either  di- 


132  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

rectly  or  indirectly,  buy  my  intentional  sanction  to  the 
system  of  American  slavery ;  and  if,  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  this  fact,  they  withdraw  from  me  their  patron- 
age. I  am  prepared  to  forego  that ;  but  if,  with  this  tes- 
timony against  wickedness,  they  wish  to  purchase  my 
goods,  I  have  no  scruples  about  receiving  their  money, 
as  I  give  them  a  fair  equivalent ;  and  once  in  my  hands 
it  is  the  same  as  if  received  from  any  other  person, 
although  in  their  hands  it  might  have  been  corrupted 
because  of  the  unrighteous  manner  in  which  it  was 
obtained  ;  but  now  that  they  have  exchanged  it  for  goods 
that  were  mine,  those  become  the  corrupted  articles, 
and  so  does  every  thing  he  may  buy  with  it.  See  Deu- 
teronomy xxviii.  15-21 .  I  further  would  say  that  my  in- 
fluence, and  whatever  income  God  may  give  me,  either 
from  the  patronage  of  slaveholders  or  any  other  source, 
shall,  according  to  my  best  judgment,  be  made  to  bear 
upon  that  wickedness  until  it  is  driven  from  the  church 
of  Christ,  and  from  all  our  social  or  political  institu- 
tions ;  and  this  I  hope  to  do  without  reference  to  the 
sneers  or  frowns  of  slaveholders  or  their  apologists, 
either  at  the  North  or  South.  If  the  American  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  will  publish  their  condemnation  of 
slavery  as  unequivocally  as  this,  and  consistently  carry 
it  out  by  withdrawing  all  Christian  fellowship  from 
slaveholders,  then  there  will  no  longer  be  cause  for 
continuing  the  provisional  committee,  or  any  other 
organization  disconnected  with  that  Board ;  but  we 
can  all  unite  in  the  support  of  missions,  and  I  doubt 
not  but  every  friend  of  the  oppressed  in  our  denomi- 
nation cherishes  the  same  view." 

Mr.  Gilbert's  correspondence  now  reveals  the  deep- 


TREMONT    STREET    CHURCH.  I33 

ening  hold  of  the  claims  of  his  Master's  cause.  He 
mourns  over  the  desolations  of  Zion,  and  bewails  the 
worldliness  creeping  into  the  church,  and  fears  that 
"  policy  so  intermingles  with  piety,  that  God  cannot 
bless  his  people  without  exalting  their  pride." 

"  A  stream  never  rises  higher  than  its  fountain,  and 
it  is  to  be  feared  that  the  cause  of  Christ  in  heathen 
lands  will  suffer  from  the  low  state  of  piety  here." 

"  A  leading  man  in  one  of  our  churches  recently 
advocated  building  and  finishing  churches  in  such  style 
as "  to  draw  in  the  rich,  in  order  that  we  may  obtain 
their  money  to  aid  in  the  diffusion  of  the  gospel. 
But  to  me  this  did  not  possess  the  characteristics  of 
Christ's  plan  or  preaching,  who  declared,  '  The  poor 
have  the  gospel  preached  to  them.' "  Mr.  G.  explains 
his  view  in  regard  to  free-seated  houses  of  worship,  in 
private  memoranda,  in  letters,  in  speeches,  and  con- 
versation. In  writing  to  a  missionary  in  the  autumn 
of  1843,  he  says,  "  This  building  churches  for  the  rich 
excludes  the  poor.  They  are  not  included  in  the  plan. 
If  they  attend  church,  they  are  not  welcomed  to  the 
body  of  the  house,  but  are  sent  to  the  pew  for  the 
poor,  or  to  the  gallery.  This  serves  to  banish  them 
from  the  house  of  God.  The  little  church  with  which 
I  am  connected  is  on  the  free-seat  plan.  Here  the  rich 
and  poor  can  meet  together  ;  and  the  black  and  white 
are  entitled  to  the  same  privileges.  The  Lord  has 
so  far  prospered  us  that  we  have  purchased  the  late 
Tremont  Theatre,  and  expect  soon  to  have  it  ready 
for  use.  It  will  seat  about  twenty  one  hundred 
persons,  and  it  is  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  convenient 
and  accessible  to  all,  cost  fifty-five  thousand  dollars, 


134  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

and  will  require  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  to 
fit  it  up,  but,  when  complete,  will  have  connected  with 
it  stores  and  other  rooms  for  rent,  the  revenue  from 
which,  we  expect,  will  meet  the  interest  of  the  debt. 
The  church,  because  of  its  anti-slavery  character,  has 
very  little  sympathy  or  assistance  from  the  wealthier 
portion  of  our  Zion  ;  but  God  has  almost  miraculously 
helped  us,  and  our  prospects  brighten  as  the  months 
speed  on." 

November  16,  1843,  he  writes  Mr.  Wade,  and  gives 
him  needed  information  in  regard  to  the  character  of 
the  assistants  about  to  sail  for  India.  "  I  would  re- 
mark that  there  are  two  missionaries  and  their  wives, 
and  a  Miss  Lathrop,  who  is  intended  to  assist  Mrs. 
Wade,  about  to  sail.  The  latter  has  been  prevented 
from  seeing  me,  and  I  have  sought  in  vain  for  an  in- 
terview. The  Missionary  Board  seem  unwilling  that 
any  one  identified  with  the  provisional  committee 
should  converse  with  her.  They  fear  our  influence. 
/  shall  see  her  if  possible.  One  of  the  men  is  a  Mr. 
Binney,  who  has  been  a  pastor  of  a  slaveholding 
church  in  Savannah,  Georgia,  and  in  a  conversation, 
where  I  was  present,  about  two  or  three  years  since, 
proved  himself  to  be  a  bitter  opposer  of  the  abolition 
movement,  and  was  what  I  should  call  one  of  the  most 
violent  of  pro-slavery  men.  If  he  has  altered  in  his 
views  it  is  unknown  to  me.  We  consider  that  the  ob- 
ject of  the  Board  in  sending  him  out  is  to  propitiate 
the  feeling  of  the  slaveholders,  in  order  to  get  them  to 
contribute  for  the  support  of  missions  ;  but  to  us,  that 
seems  to  be  paying  an  unwarrantable  price  for  aid. 
Unless  they  can  assure  the  South  that  they  fellowship 


MR.    WADE    TO    MR.    PECK.  135 

slaveholders  as  Christians,  they  cannot  obtain  funds  in 
that  quarter ;  and  if  they  do  thus  assure  them,  they 
provoke  the  divine  displeasure,  and  divorce  them- 
selves from  the  sympathy  and  support  of  the  haters  of 
slavery  in  the  North."  Mr.  G.  regrets  that  the  Board 
persists  in  clinging  to  the  South.  "  We  presume  they 
expect  Mr.  Binney  to  disabuse  your  mind  of  any  un- 
favorable impression  you  may  have  received  concern- 
ing the  slaveholders.  They  utterly  refuse  to  publish 
anything  from  the  missionaries  which  can  offend  the 
South.  Is  it  strange  that  God  frowns  upon  such  con- 
duct?" 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Wade  lays  bare  to 
the  eye  the  heart  of  this  apostle  to  the  Karens.  It  is 
written  to  Rev.  Solomon  Peck,  D.  D.,  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  Board  of  Missions  :  — 

Tayoy,  April  23,  1844. 

Dear  Brother  Peck  :  On  the  20th  of  last  month  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  your  letter  to  me  in 
answer  to  the  one  I  wrote  you  requesting  permission 
of  the  Board  to  accept  the  offer  of  the  provisional  com- 
mittee to  provide  for  my  personal  support  from  their 
funds.  In  your  answer  you  say,  "  The  acceptance  of 
your  personal  support  from  the  provisional  foreign 
missionary  committee,  retaining  also  your  connection 
with  the  Board,  is  an  arrangement  to  which  the  Board 
cannot  accede." 

Permit  me  to  ask  why  the  Board  cannot  accede  to  it. 
Has  the  Board  adopted  it  as  a  general  rule  not  to 
accede  to  the  proposition  of  any  society,  church,  or  in- 
dividual, to  support  a  missionary  through  the  medium 


136  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

of  the  Board,  despite  the  wish  of  such  missionary  to  re- 
ceive his  support  in  that  way  ?  I  suppose  not ;  and  be- 
lieving that  the  Board  has  some  particular  reasons  in 
this  case  why  they  cannot  accede  to  such  an  arrange- 
ment, I  shall,  therefore,  waive  this  subject.  The  Board 
have  said  they  cannot  accede  to  such  an  arrangement 
in  this  case.  This  answer  is  decisive.  In  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Gilbert,  dated  January  29,  1844,  I  did  accept  the  offer 
of  support  from  the  provisional  committee,  they  hav- 
ing acceded  to  the  terms  which  I  submitted  to  them  in 
a  letter  dated  January  27,  1843.  Here,  I  think,  the 
matter  must  rest  until  I  learn  the  results  of  the  Tri- 
ennial Convention,  which  meets  this  month.  The  first 
remittance  of  the  committee  —  one  hundred  pounds  — 
I  have  credited  to  the  Board,  and  have  drawn  on  the 
Board  for  my  salary  and  extra  expenses  up  to  the  1st 
of  January,  1844,  which  I  trust  the  Board  will  ap- 
prove. 

Having  now  been  informed  that  the  Board  cannot 
accede  to  the  arrangement  of  my  drawing  personal 
support  from  the  committee,  yet  being  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Board,  I  shall  open  accounts  with  the  com- 
mittee from  the  1st  of  January,  1844,  hoping  and 
praying  that  the  results  of  the  meeting  of  the  Triennial 
Convention  will  be  such  that  myself  and  all  the  abo- 
lition Baptists  can  conscientiously  resume  our  former 
relations  with  the  Board.  At  present  the  reasons 
which  induced  me  to  accept  personal  support  from  the 
committee  remain.  .  .  .  You  say,  "  The  receipt  of 
support  or  aid,  from  whatever  source,  has  no  necessary 
connection  with  slavery ;  and  still  less  ought  it  to  be 
wrested  into  an  approval  or  sanction  of  slavery."     I 


MR.    WADE    TO    MR.    PECK.  137 

admit  it ;  the  connection  is  not  a  ?iecessary  one.  As 
I  said  in  my  first  letter  to  the  committee,  slaveholding 
brethren  have  a  duty  to  perform  in  sending  the  gospel 
to  the  heathen,  from  which  injustice  to  the  slave  does 
not  excuse  them.  They  ought  to  aid  in  the  support 
of  missions  ;  and  missionaries  receiving  support  from 
them  do  not  thereby,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
involve  themselves  in  the  sin  of  slaveholding.  If  a 
man  offers  me  money  for  the  support  of  missions,  I 
shall  not  ask  him  whether  he  is  a  slaveholder,  a  dis- 
tiller, a  Catholic,  a  Mussulman,  or  a  Christian,  taking 
it  for  granted,  that,  whoever  he  be,  he  does  well  in 
wishing  to  promote  the  missionary  cause  ;  whoever  he 
be,  it  is  right  for  him  to  put  his  money  into  the  treas- 
ury of  the  Lord,  "  for  the  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the 
fulness  thereof."  But  if  he  intimate  that  his  offering 
is  a  kind  of  oblation  to  the  idol  of  slavery,  the  demon 
of  intemperance,  the  beast,  or  the  false  prophet,  and 
that,  in  taking  it,  I  must  bow  to  his  idol,  or,  at  least,  I 
must  agree  not  to  denounce  it,  and,  so  far  as  my  in- 
fluence extends,  not  tolerate  any  one  who  does  de- 
nounce it,  —  I  would  then  reject  it,  for  his  sake  that 
showed  it,  and  for  conscience'  sake,  "  for  the  earth  is 
the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof."  When  slaveholders 
make  the  exclusion  of  abolitionists  from  the  offices  of 
the  Board  the  condition  on  which  they  aid  the  mis- 
sionary cause,  I  cannot,  coitscientiously,  receive  sup- 
port from  them  on  this  condition.  Let  the  condition 
be  withdrawn,  let  Mr.  Galusha  be  restored  to  his  office 
in  the  Board,  let  the  question  of  slavery  and  anti- 
slavery  have  no  influence  on  the  doings  of  the  Con- 
vention, or  in  the  obtaining  of  funds,  and  I  shall  no 


138  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

longer  have  any  scruples  about  receiving  my  support 
as  formerly.  It  is  the  condition  on  which  slavehold- 
ing  brethren  pay  their  money  which  constitutes  my 
objections  to  receiving  it. 

The  expulsion  of  Mr.  Galusha  from  his  office  in  the 
Board  was  not,  I  admit,  an  act  of  the  Board,  as  a 
Board.  No  ;  it  was  the  act  of  the  Convention,  and  I 
now  want  to  see  if  the  Convention  will  not,  at  its. 
present  meeting,  adopt  measures  which  will  heal  the 
breach  made  by  those  of  their  last  meeting.  That 
they  may  do  so,  is  my  earnest  prayer. 

We  have  with  great  pleasure  heard  of  the  arrival  of 
the  new  missionaries  at  Maulmain,  and  are  now  daily 
anticipating  the  still  greater  pleasure  of  welcoming 
them  to  Tavoy. 

I  remain,  dear  brother, 

Very  affectionately  yours, 
(Signed)  J.  Wade. 

In  the  letters  which  follow  Mr.  G.  expresses  his  pleas- 
ure at  the  reception  of  letters  which  prove  that  mission- 
aries abroad  keep  step  with  the  church  at  home  in  the 
holy  crusade  against  slavery.  He  speaks  of  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  Tremont  Temple  December  7,  1843,  of  the 
capacity  of  the  house,  of  the  crowds  of  young  men  and 
women  which  are  gathered  to  listen  to  the  searching 
discourses  of  his  pastor.  Sketches  of  sermons  are 
often  sent,  texts  are  quoted,  and  the  leading  thought  is 
set  forth.  February  27,  1845,  he  refers  to  a  paper 
written  by  Rev.  D.  Sharp,  D.  D.,  in  reply  to  resolu- 
tions forwarded  by  the  Alabama  State  Convention, 
asking  whether  a   slaveholder  could    receive    an    ap- 


LETTER   FROM    DR.    SHARP.  1 39 

pointment  as  a  missionary.  The  No  is  emphatic  and 
decisive,  and  the  manliness  of  the  reply  will  tell  upon 
the  conflict  now  raging.     It  reads  as  follows  :  — 

Boston,  December  17,  1844. 

Dear  Sir  :  We  have  received  from  you  a  copy  of 
a  preamble  and  resolutions  which  were  passed  by  the 
Baptist  State  Convention  of  Alabama.  As  there  is  a 
demand  for  distinct  and  explicit  answers  from  our 
Board  to  the  inquiries  and  propositions  which  you 
have  been  pleased  to  make,  we  have  given  to  them  our 
deliberate  and  candid  attention.  Before  proceeding  to 
answer  them,  allow  us  to  express  our  profound  regret 
that  they  were  addressed  to  us.  They  were  not 
necessary.  We  have  never,  as  a  Board,  either  done 
or  omitted  to  do  anything  which  requires  the  explana- 
tion and  avowals  that  your  resolutions  "  demand." 
They  also  place  us  in  the  new  and  trying  position  of 
being  compelled  to  answer  hypothetical  questions,  and 
to  discuss  principles,  or  of  seeming  to  be  evasive  and 
timid,  and  not  daring  to  give  you  the  information  and 
satisfaction  which  you  desire.  If,  therefore,  in  answer- 
ing with  entire  frankness  your  inquiries  and  demands, 
we  should  express  opinions  which  may  be  unsatis- 
factory or  displeasing  to  you,  our  plea  must  be,  that  a 
necessity  was  laid  upon  us.  We  had  no  other  alterna- 
tive, without  being  wanting,  apparently,  in  that  manly 
openness  which  ought  to  characterize  the  correspond- 
ence of  Christian  brethren. 

In  your  first  resolution,  you  say,  "  that  when  one 
party  to  a  voluntary  compact  between  Christian  breth- 
ren is  not  willing  to  acknowledge  the  entire    social 


I.fO  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

equality  with  the  other  as  to  all  the  privileges  and 
benefits  of  the  union,  nor  even  to  refrain  from  impeach- 
ment and  annoyance,  united  efforts  between  such 
parties,  even  in  the  sacred  cause  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence, cease  to  be  agreeable,  useful,  or  proper."  In 
these  sentiments  we  entirely  coincide.  As  a  Board, 
we  have  the  high  consciousness,  that  it  has  always 
been  our  aim  to  act  in  accordance  therewith-  We 
have  never  called  in  question  your  social  equality  as  to 
all  the  privileges  and  benefits  of  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Union.  Nor  have  we  ever  employed  our 
official  influence  in  impeaching  or  annoying  you. 
Should  we  ever  do  this,  "  our  united  efforts,"  as  you 
justly  say,  would  "  cease  to  be  agreeable,  useful,  or 
proper." 

In  your  second  resolution,  you  "  demand  the  distinct 
and  explicit  avowal,  that  slaveholders  are  eligible  and 
entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  their 
several  unions,  and  especially  to  receive  any  agency, 
mission,  or  other  appointment  which  may  fall  within 
the  scope  of  their  operations  and  duties." 

We  need  not  say  that  slaveholders,  as  well  as  non- 
slaveholders,  are  unquestionably  entitled  to  all  the 
privileges  and  immunities  which  the  constitution  of 
the  Baptist  General  Convention  permits  and  grants  to 
its  members.  We  would  not  deprive  either  of  any  of 
the  immunities  of  the  mutual  contract.  In  regard, 
however,  to  any  agency,  mission,  or  other  appoint- 
ment, no  slaveholder  or  non-slaveholder,  however 
large  his  subscriptions  to  foreign  missions,  or  those  of 
the  church  with  which  he  is  connected,  is  on  that  ac- 
count entitled  to  be  appointed  to  an  agency  or  a  mis- 


LETTER  FROM  DR.  SHARP.  141 

sion.  The  appointing  power,  for  wise  and  good 
reasons,  has  been  confided  to  the  u  Acting  Board," 
they  holding  themselves  accountable  to  the  Conven- 
tion for  the  discreet  and  faithful  discharge  of  this 
trust. 

Should  you  say,  "The  above  remarks  are  not  suf- 
ficiently explicit ;  we  wish  distinctly  to  know  whether 
the  Board  would,  or  would  not,  appoint  a  slaveholder 
as  a  missionary,"  —  before  directly  replying,  we  would 
say,  that  in  the  thirty  years  in  which  the  Board  has 
existed,  no  slaveholder,  to  our  knowledge,  has  applied 
to  be  a  missionary.  And,  as  we  send  out  no  domestics 
or  servants,  such  an  event  as  a  missionary  taking 
slaves  with  him,  were  it  morally  right,  could  not,  in 
accordance  with  all  our  past  arrangements,  or  present 
plans,  possibly  occur.  If,  however,  any  one  should 
offer  himself  as  a  missionary,  having  slaves,  and  should 
insist  on  retaining  them  as  his  property,  we  could  not 
appoint  him.  One  thing  is  certain  :  we  can  never  be  a 
party  to  any  arrangement  which  would  imply  appro- 
bation of  slavery. 

In  your  third  resolution,  you  say,  that  "  whenever 
the  competency  or  fitness  of  an  individual  to  receive 
an  appointment  is  under  discussion,  if  any  question 
arises  affecting  his  morals,  or  his  standing  in  fellow- 
ship as  a  Christian,  such  question  should  not  be  dis- 
posed of,  to  the  grief  of  the  party,  without  ultimate 
appeal  to  the  particular  church  of  which  such  an 
individual  is  a  member,  as  being  the  only  body  on 
earth  authorized  by  the  Scriptures,  or  competent,  to 
consider  and  decide  this  class  of  cases." 

In  regard  to  our  Board,  there  is  no  point  on  which 


I42  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

we  are  more  unanimously  agreed  than  that  of  the  in- 
dependence of  churches.  We  disclaim  all  and  every 
pretension  to  interfere  with  the  discipline  of  any 
church.  We  disfellowship  no  one.  Nevertheless, 
were  a  person  to  offer  himself  as  a  candidate  for  mis- 
sionary service,  although  commended  by  his  church  as 
in  good  standing,  we  should  feel  it  our  duty  to  open 
our  eyes  on  any  facts  to  the  disadvantage  of  his  moral 
and  religious  character  which  should  come  under  our 
observation.  And  while  we  should  not  feel  that  it 
"was  our  province  to  excommunicate  or  discipline  a 
candidate  of  doubtful  character,  yet  we  should  be  un- 
worthy of  our  trust,  if  we  did  not,  although  he  were  a 
member  of  a  church,  reject  his  application.  It  is  for 
the  Board  to  determine  on  the  prudential,  moral, 
religious,  and  theological  fitness  of  each  one  who  offers 
himself  as  a  missionary  ;  it  is  for  the  church,  of  which 
such  a  one  is  a  member,  to  decide  whether  he  be  a 
fit  person  to  belong  to  their  body. 

The  other  resolutions,  which  were  passed  in  your 
recent  Convention,  regard  more  your  own  action  than 
ours.  They  therefore  call  for  no  remarks  from  us. 
We  should  have  been  gratified,  in  the  present  im- 
poverished and  embarrassed  state  of  our  treasury,  if  the 
brethren  in  Alabama,  confiding  in  the  integrity  and 
discretion  of  the  "  Acting  Board,"  could  unhesitating- 
ly have  transmitted  to  us  their  funds.  We  have  sent 
out  missionaries  and  enlarged  our  operations,  in  the 
expectation  that,  so  long  as  we  acted  in  conformity 
with  the  rules  and  spirit  under  which  we  were  ap- 
pointed, we  should  be  sustained  both  by  the  East  and 
the  West,  the  North  and  the  South.     If  in  this  just 


EFFECT    OF   DR.    SHARP  S   LETTER.  1 43 

expectation  we  are  to  be  disappointed,  we  shall  ex- 
perience unutterable  regret. 

We  have,  with  all  frankness,  but  with  entire  kind- 
ness and  respect,  defined  our  position.  If  our  brethren 
in  Alabama,  with  this  exposition  of  our  principles  and 
feelings,  can  cooperate  with  us,  we  shall  be  happy  to 
receive  their  aid.  If  they  cannot,  painful  to  us  as  will 
be  their  withdrawal,  yet  we  shall  submit  to  it,  as 
neither  sought  nor  caused  by  us. 

There  are  sentiments  avowed  in  this  communica- 
tion, which,  although  held  temperately  and  kindly, 
and  with  all  due  esteem  and  Christian  regard  for  the 
brethren  addressed,  are,  nevertheless,  dearer  to  us 
than  any  pecuniary  aid  whatever. 
We  remain,  yours  truly, 

In  behalf  of  the  Board, 

Daniel  Sharp,  President. 

Baron  Stow,  Rec.  Sec. 

Rev.  Jesse  Hartwell, 

President  Alabama  Baptist  State  Convention. 

The  effect  of  this  document  was  apparent  in  the 
North  and  in  the  South.  Virginia  Baptists,  in  full 
Convention,  instructed  the  treasurer  of  their  State  Con- 
vention to  pay  over  no  more  money.  Other  states 
took  similar  action.  The  meeting  of  the  Triennial 
Convention,  to  be  held  in  Providence,  began  to  be 
looked  forward  to  with  overwhelming  interest,  inas- 
much as  an  attempt  would  be  made  to  reverse  the 
decision  of  the  Board.  The  provisional  committee 
took  action  on  the  subject,  and  unanimously  approved 
the  decision  of  the  Board,  and  in  the  last  of  March, 
1845,  issued  the  following  address  :  — 


144  memoir  of  timothy  gilbert. 

Address  of  the  Provisional  Committee. 

At  this  crisis  in  our  missionary  operations,  the  Pro- 
visional Foreign  Mission  Committee  deem  themselves 
called  upon  to  publish  the  following  distinct  expres- 
sion of  their  views  and  feelings.  The  committee  was 
organized  with  reluctance,  to  meet  an  exigency  be- 
lieved then  to  exist.  It  was  honestly  supposed  that 
previous  transactions  had  committed  the  Baptist  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  to  the  support  of  the  institution 
of  slavery,  so  as  to  render  further  cooperation  with 
them  a  connivance  at  that  sin.  It  never  has  been  our 
desire  that  the  Convention,  or  its  Board,  should  turn 
aside  from  their  appropriate  work,  to  contend  against 
slavery  ;  all  we  wished  was,  that  they  would  oppose 
it  and  its  claims,  when,  like  idolatry,  or  licentious- 
ness, or  intemperance,  it  should  seek  to  resist,  or  im- 
pede, or  corrupt  the  great  enterprise  of  spreading  the 
gospel  in  its  power  and  purity.  Yet  it  was  painfully 
observed  that  slaveholders  were  too  successfully  en- 
deavoring to  subordinate  this  organization  to  their 
aid,  in  opposing  the  free  action  of  northern  brethren 
and  churches  against  their  favored  institution.  They 
sought  to  compel  their  coadjutors  here  by  threats  of 
displeasure,  and  a  disruption  in  case  of  a  refusal,  to 
publish  to  the  world,  either  individually  or  officially, 
directly  or  indirectly,  that  slaveholding  does  not  dis- 
qualify any  one  for  church  membership,  or  for  the  . 
ministry,  or  for  the  office  and  work  of  a  missionary, 
and  that  it  is  no  sin.  And  their  supposed  success  at 
Baltimore,  in  1840,  prevented  them  then  ixom.  with- 
holding their  funds  and  withdrawing  from  the  Con- 
vention. 


ADDRESS    OF    THE    COMMITTEE.  145 

Doubtless  many  of  our  brethren  were  deceived  re- 
specting the  design  of  those  transactions,  and  were 
thus  made  to  contribute  to  results  which  they  did  not 
anticipate.  But  if  at  that  time  the  real  intention  of 
slaveholders  to  subject  the  missionary  organization  to 
the  interests  of  their  cherished  system  was  not  de- 
tected, their  recent  attempt  has  been  less  successful. 
Their  threats  of  disunion,  withholding  funds,  &c,  so 
often  made  to  constrain  the  Board  to  abandon  their 
appropriate  duties,  and  give  countenance  to  slavehold- 
ing,  have  now  met  with  a  merited  rebuke.  In  their 
last  movements  their  aim  has  been  sufficiently  obvious 
to  convince  even  the  most  wavering  of  the  character 
of  their  former  designs.  But  through  the  ordering  of 
Providence,  and  the  fidelity  of  the  Acting  Board  to 
their  convictions  of  duty,  the  South  have  obtained  so 
much  testimony  against  their  "  peculiar  institution/'  as 
will  leave  them  hereafter  in  no  doubt  respecting  the  es- 
timation in  which  slaveholding  by  the  ministry  is  held 
at  the  North.  Thus  they  have  constrained  the  Board 
to  do  all  that  we  ever  desired.  And  we  are  happy 
in  believing  and  declaring,  that  they  have  thus  re- 
moved all  cause  of  suspicions  of  any  connivance  with, 
or  responsibility  for,  the  sin  of  slavery.  Should  the 
South  continue  to  contribute  to  the  Board  after  what 
has  been  said,  we  should  regard  such  funds  as  those 
received  from  irreligious  men,  the  reception  of  which 
does  not  involve  the  Board  in  the  guilt  of  the  donor. 
So  long  as  they  maintain  this  position  with  that  can- 
dor and  firmness  with  which  it  has  been  taken,  we 
feel  free  to  say,  that  we  shall  give  them  our  most  cor- 
dial support,  and  we  believe  it  is  the  solemn  duty  of 

7 


I46  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

all  who  love  the  cause  of  missions,  to  come  to  their 
aid  with  that  devotion  and  liberality  which  its  present 
languishing  condition  demands.   .   .   . 

All  who  prefer  openness  and  candor  to  concealment 
and  intrigue,  cannot  fail  to  honor  the  Board  for  the 
manner  in  which  they  have  answered  the  questions 
lately  put  to  them  by  a  portion  of  the  South.  No 
doubt  the  latter  would  like  to  reverse  the  decision ; 
but  they,  as  well  as  we,  desired  that  a  decision  should 
be  made.  From  the  necessity  of  the  case,  an  answer 
must  be  fatal  to  the  hopes  of  one  or  the  other  party, 
and  prevent  their  continued  harmonious  cooperation. 
But  an  evasion  of  the  difficulty  would  have  been  more 
so.  The  character  and  spirit  of  slavery,  and  the  light 
pervading  Christendom,  in  our  judgment,  render  a 
decision  inevitable.  If  the  entire  North  sustain  the 
Board,  the  line  will  be  drawn,  where  it  belongs,  be- 
tween freedom  and  slavery.  And  indeed,  wherever 
the  line  may  run,  it  will  separate  between  those  who 
uphold  slavery  and  those  who  refuse  to  do  so. 

To  such  as  have  felt  constrained,  with  us,  to  with- 
draw their  direct  cooperation  with  the  Board  for  a 
season,  we  say  with  deep  sincerity  and  emotion,  See 
to  it  that  our  brethren  are  sustained  in  the  honorable 
stand  which  they  have  taken,  and  which,  we  doubt- 
not,  they  will  maintain.  For  us  now  to  stand  aloot 
would  be  base  and  treacherous.  Gratitude  to  God 
for  an  event  for  which  we  have  earnestly  prayed, 
should  keep  us  from  such  a  course.  So  much  of  the 
support  of  the  cause  as  has  hitherto  come  from  the 
unpaid  toils  of  the  slave,  will,  no  doubt,  now  be  with- 
held ;  let  this  deficiency  be  more  than  made  up  by  your 


ADDRESS    OF   THE    COMMITTEE.  147 

increased  liberality.  Let  not  the  Board  and  the  mis- 
sionaries suffer,  because  the  former  refuse  in  any  way 
to  sanction  a  system  of  wrong  which  has  been  alike 
grievous  to  us  all.  The  missionaries  in  Burmah  once 
had  it  under  consideration  to  request  the  Board  to  deduct 
from  their  scanty  salaries  the  probable  amount  secured 
from  slave  labor,  and  it  was  not  that  they  would  not 
have  deemed  privation  a  luxury,  compared  with  the 
thought  that  the  means  of  their  own  support  were  in 
part  the  price  of  some  Christian  brother  or  sister  sold 
into  perpetual  bondage,  —  a  doom  more  dreadful  than 
death,  —  that  this  resolution  was  not  taken. 

Let  this  fact,  and  others  still  more  plainly  indicating 
the  harmony  of  their  views  and  feelings  with  our  own, 
impel  us  to  exert  our  utmost  to  afford  hearts  so  noble 
all  they  desire  for  their  own  comfort,  and  for  the  suc- 
cess of  that  cause  which  we  all  so  much  love.  We 
entreat  you  to  allow  no  partiality  for  contention,  and 
no  vain  excuse,  to  deter  you  from  giving  immediate 
and  convincing  evidence  of  your  sincere  and  firm  at- 
tachment to  this  holy  enterprise.  Let  us  remember 
those  who  consecrated  their  all  to  it,  and  bear  in  mind 
that  we  are  no  less  the  Lord's.  Let  those  whose  funds 
have  been  conveyed  through  another  channel  now 
promptly  direct  them  to  this.  And  if  for  any  cause 
any  have  kept  back  their  donations,  let  them  see  to  it 
that  they  are  now  honestly  paid  over  to  the  treasury 
of  Him  who  will  not  be  robbed  with  impunity. 
By  order  and  in  behalf  of  the  Committee, 

S.  G.  Shipley,  Chairman. 

Geo.  W.  Bosworth,  Secretary. 


I48  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

In  the  midst  of  increasing  excitements  the  meetings 
in  May  came  on.  The  action  of  the  Convention  was 
mild,  temperate,  and  firm.  The  committee,  of  which 
Dr.  Wayland  was  chairman,  to  whom  the  Alabama 
resolutions  were  referred,  reported  that, 

All  members  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  good 
standing,  whether  at  the  North  or  South,  are  constitu- 
tionally eligible  to  all  appointments  emanating  either 
from  the  Convention  or  Board. 

While  this  is  the  case,  it  is  probable  that  contin- 
gencies may  arise  in  which  the  carrying  out  of  this 
principle  might  create  the  necessity  of  making  ap- 
pointments by  which  the  brethren  at  the  North  would 
either  in  fact,  or  in  the  opinion  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity, become  responsible  for  institutions  which  they 
could  not,  with  a  good  conscience,  sanction. 

Were  such  a  case  to  occur,  we  would  not  desire 
our  brethren  to  violate  their  convictions  of  duty  by 
making  such  appointments,  but  should  consider  it  in- 
cumbent on  them  to  refer  the  case  to  the  Convention 
for  its  decision. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted,  in  behalf  of  the 
committee. 

F.  Wayland,  Chairman. 

Rev.  Dr.  Welch  opposed  the  reception  of  the  re- 
port, on  the  ground  that  it  is  too  ambiguous  to  meet 
the  expectations  of  the  denomination  in  this  period  of 
earnest  agitation.  He  remarked  that  we  are  called  as 
honest  Christian  men  to  meet  the  question,  whether 
the  North  and  South  shall  cooperate  in  the  great  work 


DEBATES    ON   THE   RESOLUTIONS.  I49 

of  foreign  missions.  He  proposed  to  add  to  the  report 
resolutions  sympathizing  with  the  Acting  Board  in 
their  trying  circumstances,  and  fully  sustaining  their 
late  actions. 

The  third  article  was  then  adopted. 

Rev.  Dr.  Welch's  resolutions  were  again  read. 

The  first,  which  was  ultimately  adopted,  was  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"Resolved,  —  That  we  sincerely  and  deeply  sym- 
pathize with  our  brethren  of  the  Acting  Board,  charged 
with  the  interests  of  the  missions  during  the  recess  of 
the  Convention,  in  the  responsibilities  they  sustain  and 
the  difficulties  with  which  they  are  surrounded,  and 
we  now  pledge  to  them  our  cordial  cooperation  and 
liberal  support." 

The  second  having  been  again  read,  Rev.  Mr.  Jeter 
arose,  and  stated  that  the  South  would  never  have  par- 
ticipated in  forming  the  Convention,  if  they  had  not 
supposed  themselves  on  terms  of  perfect  equality  with 
their  brethren  at  the  North.  He  thought  it,  therefore, 
not  improper  for  the  Alabama  Baptists  to  address  the 
Board  as  they  did.  They  had,  besides,  some  special 
reasons.  The  Board,  he  remarked,  "were  bound  to 
reply ;  and  their  reply  he  understood  as  at  first,  not- 
withstanding all  explanations.  It  made  slaveholding 
a  disqualification.  And  as  doing  so  it  cuts  off  the 
South  from  all  participation  in  managing  the  affairs 
of  the  Board.  We  regard  the  position  of  the  Board 
as  unconstitutional.  If  they  had  left  us  an  inch  to 
stand  upon,  we  would  have  remained  in  cooperation 
with  the  Board.  But,  said  he,  we  have  not  that  inch 
left.     We  are  cut  off.     He  wished  the  brethren  of  the 


I50  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

North  union  among  themselves,  and  feelingly  adverted 
to  his  own  position  as  a  slaveholder  by  necessity, 
rather  than  by  choice. " 

Rev.  Dr.  Williams  dissented  from  the  second  reso- 
lution of  Dr.  Welch.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  adop- 
tion of  the  resolution  would  destroy  the  unity  of  the 
report  of  the  committee.  He  thought  the  report,  as 
it  stood,  adapted  to  produce  a  soothing  effect  —  a 
soothing  effect  at  the  South,  though  cooperation  can- 
not be  maintained  —  a  soothing  effect  at  the  North, 
which  would  tend  to  harmony  in  this  section  of  the 
Union.  He  desired  the  separation  to  be  relieved  of 
its  unhappy  features,  and  to  be  marked  by  such  senti- 
ments of  piety  and  affection  as  should  be  approved 
by  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  thought  we  had  done  well 
to  pass  the  first  resolution,  expressing  our  sympathy 
with  the  Board,  but  thought  it  could  do  no  good  to  go 
further. 

Rev.  Dr.  Stow  was  opposed  to  the  passing  of  this 
resolution.  "  First,  it  would  tend  unnecessarily  to  exas- 
perate the  South.  The  South  are  about  to  withdraw 
—  let  us  not,  said  he,  give  bitterness  to  the  separation. 
Second,  there  are  many  in  the  Northern  and  Middle 
States  who  do  not  sustain  the  Board,  and  these  he 
would  not  exasperate.  And,  third,  the  Acting  Board 
do  not  desire  it ;  the  first  resolution  is  all  that  they 
desire.  If  the  Board  pledge  their  sympathy,  and 
continue  their  cooperation,  no  more  is  desired.  The 
doings  of  the  Acting  Board  are  before  the  world,  and 
may  be  left  to  stand  or  fall  upon  their  own  merits.'' 

On  May  7,  1845,  the  American  Baptist  Anti-Slavery 
Convention  held  its  last  anniversary  in  the  McDougal 
Street  Baptist  Church,  New  York. 


DISSOLUTION    OF   THE    CONVENTION.  151 

Satisfied  with  the  action  of  the  Convention,  and 
convinced  that  their  organization  had  been  fully  vin- 
dicated, and  that  the  purposes  which  called  it  into 
existence  had  been  won,  it  was  voted  "  to  dissolve  the 
provisional  committee,  and  that  the  executive  com- 
mittee be  instructed  immediately  to  pay  out  all  funds 
in  their  treasury  for  the  support  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wade,  or,  in  case  of  their  death,  that  the  committee 
pay  out  these  funds  for  the  support  of  other  Baptist 
anti-slavery  missionaries,  and  that  the  treasurer  be 
directed  to  receive  no  more  funds  for  the  purpose  of 
either  domestic  or  foreign  missions  ;  that  the  necessity 
which  called  into  existence  this  Convention  is  met,  or 
may  be  met,  more  fully  by  other  anti-slavery  organiza- 
tions or  moveme  ats ;  that  the  executive  committee 
carry  into  effect  the  resolution  for  the  disposal  of  the 
funds  as  soon  as  possible,  and  then  publish  that  fact, 
and  announce  the  dissolution  of  the  American  Baptist 
Anti-Slavery  Convention." 

Thus  were  brought  to  a  triumphant  close  the  doings 
of  a  body  whose  influence  was  felt  in  foreign  climes, 
and  whose  noble  and  persistent  bearing  in  favor  of 
gospel  and  political  freedom  changed  the  character 
of  our  great  organizations,  and  laid  bare,  to  the  gaze 
of  mankind,  the  impiety,  the  tyranny,  and  the  mon- 
strosity of  American  slavery.  At  this  point  Mr.  Gil- 
bert separated  from  many  of  his  co-laborers ;  they 
adhering  to  the  fortunes  of  the  American  and  Foreign 
Baptist  Missionary  Society,  while  he  gave  his  unquali- 
fied support  to  the  Missionary  Union  from  that  time 
on  to  the  close  of  his  eventful  life. 

Though  a  triumph  had  been  won  in  the  North,  the 


152  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

principles  touching  slavery  held  by  men  of  promi- 
nence were  sadly  at  variance  with  his  own.  The 
correspondence,  as  printed  in  the  "  Reflector/'  between 
Drs.  Fuller  and  Wayland  excited  surprise.  He  felt  a 
contempt  for  the  effort  made  to  prove  that  Christianity 
sanctions  slavery.  When  Dr.  Fuller  declared,  u  I  find 
my  Bible  condemning  the  abuses  of  slavery,  but  per- 
mitting the  system  itself,"  he  claimed  that  he  was 
disgraced  as  a  Baptist.  In  his  estimation,  the  con- 
cessions of  Dr.  Wayland,  that  "  the  New  Testament 
contains  no  precept  prohibitory  of  slavery,"  yielded 
up  the  ground,  and  permitted  the  southern  champion 
to  bear  oft' the  palm.  In  1846  William  Hague,  D.  D., 
read  before  the  Conference  of  Baptist  Ministers  a  re- 
view of  the  discussion,  which  found  its  way  into  print 
in  the  year  following,  and  has  become  memorable, 
because  it  met  the  argument  of  Dr.  Fuller  by  the 
maintenance  of  positions  which  covered  the  point 
that  Dr.  Wayland  had  left  vulnerable.*  The  article 
has  a  noteworthy  history.  It  evidenced  that  too  much 
had  been  conceded  to  pro-slavery  writers.  Dr.  Thomp- 
son and  Dr.  Cheever,  who  examined  its  positions,  cor- 
roborated every  one  of  them,  and  acknowledged  their 
indebtedness  to.  the  review ;  while  Theodore  Parker 
spoke  of  it  as  being  a  contribution  of  permanent  worth 
to  the  cause  of  human  freedom.  In  it  the  position  is 
affirmed  that  apostolic  Christianity  actually  abolished 
slavery,  the  relation  of  owner  and  chattel,  whenever 

*  It  is  entitled  "  Christianity  and  Slavery,"  and  may  be  found 
in  the  excellent  volume  which  has  been  issued  by  Gould  and  Lin- 
coln under  the  title  of  "  Christianity  and  Statesmanship." 


DR.    HAGUE  S    REVIEW.  1 53 

both  of  the  parties  acknowledged  the  supremacy  of 
the  law  of  Christ,  as  members  of  a  Christian  church. 

Those  acquainted  with  Mr.  Gilbert's  peculiar  views 
can  imagine  how  he  would  relish  this  mode  of  han- 
dling the  professed  advocate  of  the  slave.  We  quote 
from  the  review :  "  The  mode  in  which  the  new  dis- 
pensation is  supposed  to  have  borne  upon  the  slave 
system  is  thus  expressed  by  Dr.  Wayland  :  '  By  teach- 
ing the  master  his  own  accountability ;  by  instilling 
into  his  mind  the  mild  and  humanizing  truths  of 
Christianity ;  by  showing  him  the  folly  of  sensuality 
and  luxury,  and  the  happiness  derived  from  industry 
and  frugality  and  benevolence,  it  would  prepare  him, 
of  his  own  accord,  to  liberate  his  slave,  and  to  use  all 
his  influence  towards  the  abolition  of  those  laws  by 
which  slavery  was  maintained.  By  teaching  the  slave 
his  value  and  his  responsibility  as  a  man,  and  subject- 
ing his  passions  and  appetites  to  the  laws  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  thus  raising  him  to  his  true  rank  as  an 
intellectual  and  moral  being,  it  would  prepare  him  for 
the  freedom  to  which  he  was  entitled,  and  render  the 
liberty  which  it  conferred,  a  blessing  to  him  as  well  as 
to  the  state,  of  which  he  now  for  the  first  time  formed 
a  part.'  " 

This  Deacon  Gilbert  rightly  thought  conceded 
too  much,  and  so  he  gave  his  assent  to  the  utter- 
ance that  the  statement,  as  made  by  Dr.  Wayland, 
"  falls  far  short  of  the  truth,  and  grants  a  great 
deal  too  much."  "It  is  yielding  to  the  advocate  of 
slavery  an  advantage  which  in  Dr.  Fuller's  hands  has 
been  made  to  take  on  the  aspect  of  a  triumph."  "  All 
the  world   confess   that   Dr.   Wayland  is   an   elegant 

H  # 


154  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

writer  and  a  strong  reasoner ;  but  the  strongest  rea- 
soner  cannot  create  truth  ;  the  highest  result  that  he 
can  achieve,  in  a  discussion  like  this,  is  to  use  effec- 
tively the  elements  of  truth  and  power  with  which 
reason  and  revelation  have  furnished  him.  But,  after 
such  a  concession  as  this,  we  cannot  conceive  it  to  be 
within  the  scope  of  the  human  intellect  to  impart  to 
the  scriptural  argument  against  slavery  an  appearance 
of  great  strength.  To  give  it  force  and  poignancy,  to 
direct  it  with  quickening  and  commanding  energy  to 
the  conscience  of  the  slaveholder,  are  "  impossible." 
Dr.  Hague  then  showed  that  the  Epistles  of  Paul  con- 
taining the  passages  referred  to  were  addressed,  not 
to  the  world  at  large,  nor  to  the  subjects  of  the  Roman 
empire  as  such,  nor  to  men  as  men  and  citizens,  but 
to  little  communities  of  Christians,  who  had  come  out 
from  the  world,  and  had  risen  above  the  level  of 
Roman  law  to  a  higher  moral  realm  wherein  Christ 
swayed  a  sceptre  of  sovereignty ;  unto  whom,  looking 
up,  they  could  say  with  the  voice  of  common  adora- 
tion, in  response  to  his  own  announcement  to  them, 
Thou  alone  art  our  Master,  and  all  we  are  brethren. 
He  showed  that  slavery  had  been  for  centuries  abol- 
ished among  the  Jews,  and  that  the  right  of  slave 
property  under  Roman  law  did  not  inhere  any  more 
in  the  relation  of  master  and  servant  than  it  did  in 
that  of  parent  and  child.  Then  taking  up  the  Scrip- 
ture references,  he  showed  that  all  harmonized  with  the 
apostolic  declaration,  "  God  hath  made  of  one  blood 
all  nations  of  men  to  dwell  upon  all  the  face  of  the 
earth  ; "  and  that  "  for  disciples  of  Christ  there  was 
no  need  of  instructions  to  inform   *:hem  that  one  of 


dr.  Hague's  review.  155 

their  number  had  no  right  to  hold  the  other  as  prop- 
erty." In  other  words,  he  showed  that,  as  the  element 
of  chattelship,  of  absolute  property,  inhered,  as  a  fun- 
damental principle  of  Roman  law,  in  the  relation  of 
the  wife  to  the  husband  and  of  the  child  to  the  parent, 
as  well  as  in  that  of  master  and  servant,  if  Christianity 
impliedly  sanctioned  slavery,  or  chattelship  in  the  ser- 
vile relation,  it  was  equally  sanctioned,  by  parity  of 
reasoning,  in  the  conjugal  and  filial  relations.  Every 
wife  was  a  slave  to  the  husband,  every  child  was  a 
slave  to  the  father,  in  accordance  with  Christianity. 
The  argument  of  Dr.  Fuller  proved  too  much,  and, 
of  course,  proved  nothing.  The  following  declaration 
gave  expression  to  Dr.  Hague's  thought,  and  in  a  clear 
manner  defined  the  position  of  the  disputants  :  "  The 
man  who,  in  the  view  of  the  civil  law,  is  regarded  as  a 
slaveholder,  but  who,  in  heart,  abhors  the  system,  tes- 
tifies against  it  as  unrighteous,  and  does  what  he  can 
to  bring  it  to  an  end,  is  guiltless  compared  with  him, 
either  at  the  South  or  North,  who  never  owned  a 
slave,  but  who  says  that  Christianity  sanctions  slavery. 
The  one  is  the  unwilling  victim  of  the  system  ;  the 
other  is  the  voluntary  advocate  of  a  principle  which,  if 
true,  fixes  on  Christianity  all  the  guilt  of  the  system 
itself.  The  one  exerts  an  influence  which  tends  to 
destroy  the  system,  the  other  an  influence  which  tends 
to  perpetuate  it.  The  one  utters  a  testimony,  however 
feeble,  in  harmony  with  the  voice  of  the  Bible  ;  the 
other  muffles  God's  trumpet,  so  that  it  can  pour  forth 
no  note  of  warning,  but  only  gentle  sounds,  which 
soothe  rather  than  alarm  the  conscience  of  the  op- 
pressor." 


156  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

This  review  comforted  Timothy  Gilbert,  and  made 
him  a  fast  friend  of  its  author.  He  welcomed  a  de- 
fender of  the  Scriptures  from  the  ranks  of  his  own 
denomination  with  greater  pleasure,  because  men  of 
distinction  had  in  his  estimation  disgraced  themselves, 
and  done  lasting  injury  to  the  cause  of  truth  by  fur- 
nishing infidels  weapons  by  which  they  might  with  a 
promise  of  success  assail  the  citadel  of  truth.  This 
argument  of  Dr.  Hague  has  remained  uncontroverted, 
because  it  is  uncontrovertible.  It  enables  men  who 
are  not  scholars  to  be  true  to  the  oppressed  without 
being  false  to  their  faith  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and 
proves  Christianity  fit  to  win  its  way  through  all  tribes 
of  men,  as  a  universal  religion.  It  shows  that  the 
Messiah  of  ancient  prophecy,  who  was  to  be  the  De- 
liverer of  the  oppressed  and  the  Desire  of  all  nations, 
the  Preacher  of  liberty  to  the  captive,  has  come  and 
established  his  kingdom  on  the  earth. 


i57 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DEDICATION   OF  TREMONT   TEMPLE. THE  DEATH  OF 

MRS.     GILBERT. SECOND     MARRIAGE     OF    MR.    GIL- 
BERT.  TRIP   TO  EUROPE. CONSECRATION  OF  HIS 

PROPERTY    TO    THE    CAUSE    OF    CHRIST. 

The  dedication  of  Tremont  Temple  to  the  service 
of  Almighty  God  was  an  event  of  special  significance 
in  the  life  of  Timothy  Gilbert.  On  June  26,  1843,  he 
received  the  deed  of  Tremont  Theatre,  and  put  the 
same  on  record.  Though  he  had  wrought  manfully 
in  the  anti-slavery  cause,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  had 
carried  on  an  extensive  correspondence  with  missiona- 
ries, statesmen,  and  ministers,  yet,  could  we  have  seen 
the  under-currents  of  his  life,  we  should  have  found  that 
the  one  great  object  to  which  he  had  consecrated  him- 
self, was  the  erection  of  a  free  place  of  public  worship  in 
the  heart  of  Boston.  He  believed  that  such  a  building 
would  exert  a  telling  influence  upon  the  history  of  all 
large  cities,  and  help  to  stay  the  incoming  wave  of 
infidelity  and  Romanism.  His  tactics  were  worthy 
of  a  Grant.  He  determined  to  hold  the  centre  of  the 
line,  believing  that  all  would  then  be  well.  The 
crowded  condition  of  the  Baptist  churches,  the  thou- 
sands of  strangers  and  mechanics  wandering  in  the 
streets,  and  uninvited  and  unwelcomed  to  the  courts 
of  the  Lord's  house,  touched  his  heart  and  made  him 
resolute  in  his  purpose. 


I5S  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

The  prejudice  against  the  negro,  the  vital  necessities 
of  the  poor  and  neglected,  caused  him  to  plan  the 
erection  of  a  building  whose  rental  should  defray  ex- 
penses, and  furnish  in  a  hall,  without  cost  to  the 
church,  accommodations  for  a  multitude  sufficiently 
large  to  make  the  support  of  a  minister  a  burden  so 
light  that  it  might  easily  be  borne  by  the  poorest. 

He  went  into  an  estimate  as  to  the  amount  which 
would  be  required  from  each  individual,  and  pub- 
lished a  card  showing  the  results  of  one,  two,  three, 
and  four  pennies,  contributed  each  week  by  the  stated 
worshippers.  .Impressed  with  the  feasibility  of  the  pro- 
ject, he  purchased  Tremont  Theatre  for  some  sixty  thou- 
sand dollars,  opened  it  for  the  service  of  Almighty  God, 
and  invited  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  D.  D.,  to  preach  the 
first  sermon  before  the  theatre  was  changed,  and  then 
made  it  ready  for  the  uses  of  worship.  The  work  was 
completed,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  on  Thurs- 
day evening.  December  7.  1S43.  A  severe  snow-storm 
that  had  prevailed  during  the  day,  and  which  contin- 
ued with  much  violence  in  the  evening,  induced  the 
fear  that  few  would  be  present.  Those  who  are  un- 
acquainted with  the  anxiety  felt  by  the  burden-bearers 
of  an  enterprise  of  this  magnitude,  can  hardly  appre- 
ciate their  solicitude  in  such  an  hour. 

Deacon  Gilbert's  faith  shone  forth  conspicuously 
on  such  occasions.  He  did  his  whole  duty,  and  then 
trusted  to  God  for  a  blessing.  On  this  occasion,  as 
on  many  others,  his  faith  met  its  sure  reward.  Over 
fifteen  hundred  persons  were  present  at  the  opening 
of  the  meeting.  The  services  were  commenced  with 
a  voluntary  on  the  organ  and  anthem.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Caldicott    offered    the    invocation.      Scriptures   were 


DEDICATION   OF   TREMONT    TEMPLE.  1 59 

read  by  Rev.  John  O.  Choules,  when  the  following 
hymn,  written  for  the  occasion  by  the  pastor,  Rev. 
Mr.  Colver,  was  sung  :  — 

Great  God,  before  thy  reverend  name, 
"Within  these  ransomed  walls,  we  bow  ; 

Too  long  abused  to  sin  and  shame, 
To  thee  we  consecrate  them  now. 

Satan  has  here  held  empire  long,  — 

A  blighting  curse,  a  cruel  reign,  — 
By  mimic  scenes,  and  mirth,  and  song, 

Alluring  souls  to  endless  pain. 

Fiction  no  more  !     God's  truth,  at  last* 

Shall  here  portray  eternal  scenes  ; 
The  gospel  peal  the  battle  blast, 

Or  charm  with  Calvary's  gentler  strains. 

Here  set  thy  feet,  0  Zion's  King, 

And  send  thy  victories  all  abroad ; 
Blest  Dove,  distil  from  balmy  wing 

The  dew  of  life —  the  grace  of  God. 

Thus  let  the  glorious  war  go  on, 

The  banner  of  the  cross  unfurled  ; 
Soon  the  last  triumph  shall  be  won> 

And  Christ  possess  a  ransomed  world* 

Sermon,  by  the  pastor,  from  John  xii.  31, 32.  Anthem. 
Dedicatory  prayer,  by  Rev.  William  Hague,  D.  D. 
The  second  hymn  was  written  by  H.  S.  Washburn, 
Esq.  :  — 

O  Thou  who  canst  create  anew, 

And  change  the  dross  to  purest  gold, 
This  house  —  which  once  its  votaries  drew 

To  scenes  of  vice,  when  vice  grew  bold  — 


l6o  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Accept  as  thine,  Jehovah,  King, 

New-formed  and  fashioned  for  thy  praise ; 

And  overshadow  with  thy  wing 
The  altar  that  to  thee  we  raise. 

And  long  may  youth  and  hoary  age  — 

Come  up  to  worship  in  thy  fear, 
And  hand,  and  heart,  and  voice  engage 

To  bless  the  God  of  Jacob  here. 

O  God  supreme,  thy  power  maintain, 

And  turn  the  hearts  of  men  to  thee  ; 
Till  He  whose  right  it  is  shall  reign, 

Lord  of  the  heavens,  the  earth,  the  sea. 

After  which,  the  service  was  concluded  with  the  bene- 
diction, by  Rev.  Rollin  H.  Neale,  D.  D. 

The  "  Daily  Mail,"  in  noticing  it,  says,  "  Mr.  Colver 
carries  a  very  brier  in  his  hand,  and  sinners  must  look 
out  or  they  will  be  touched  in  tender  places.  He  is 
no  time-server.  He  preaches  for  eternity.  There  is 
no  half  work  about  the  worthy  pastor  ;  he  cries  aloud 
and  spares  not.  His  sermon  was  founded  on  the 
proposition  that  the  cross  of  Christ  is  both  the  pledge 
and  the  instrumentality  for  the  defeat  of  Satan's  plans 
and  the  overthrow  of  his  kingdom.  It  was  concluded 
by  a  series  of  reflections  and  an  argument  in  favor  of 
houses  of  worship  with  free  seats."  "  Here,  within 
these  walls,  men  of  all  ranks,  conditions,  and  com- 
plexions, are  on  an  equality.  The  rich,  the  polite,  the 
fashionable,  are  welcomed,  but  only  on  condition  that 
the  poor  man,  meanly  attired,  may  occupy  the  seat 
beside  them.     All,  without  distinction,  are  invited  to 


DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    TEMPLE.  l6l 

come  up  hither,  listen  to  God's  truth  faithfully  dis- 
pensed, and  worship  before  high  Heaven." 

The  old  building  differed  in  many  respects  from  the 
one  now  occupied  by  the  church.  The  lecture-room 
measured  eighty-eight  by  ninety  feet.  It  contained 
two  hundred  and  eighty  pews,  measuring  three  thou- 
sand feet  in  length,  and  would  seat  over  two  thousand 
persons.  But  its  galleries  projected  badly  over  the 
audience,  and  it  lacked  the  symmetry  and  elegant  pro- 
portions that  go  to  make  the  hall  of  the  present  Tem- 
ple the  finest  auditorium  of  its  size  in  the  world.  The 
chapels  in  the  old  building  were  not  as  extensive  nor 
as  convenient  as  are  the  present  rooms  of  the  Meio- 
nion  and  Vestry.  But  the  edifice  was  an  arrow-shol 
ahead  of  anything  then  in  existence  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  declared  to  be  an  ornament  to  the 
city,  and  the  hope  was  expressed  that  it  might  prove 
of  immense  advantage  to  the  cause  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  "  The  public  and  the  Tremont  Street 
church,"  so  says  the  "  Reflector,"  "  are  indebted  chiefly 
to  the  enterprise  and  liberality  of  Deacon  Timothy 
Gilbert,  for  the  speedy  and  successful  accomplishment 
of  this  noble  work.  Others  have  done  what  they  were 
able,  but  on  no  man  has  the  burden  rested  so  heavily, 
and  by  no  one  could  it  have  been  borne  more  cheer- 
fully than  it  has  been  by  him.  We  congratulate  him 
and  his  coadjutors  on  what  God  has  enabled  them  to 
do,  and  commend  the  church,  with  its  pastor,  to  the 
blessing  of  Him  who  must  build  the  house,  or  they 
labor  in  vain  who  build  it." 

It  is  seldom  the  day  of  adversity  is  set  so  closely 
over  against  the  day  of  prosperity,  as  was  the  case  on 


l62  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

this  occasion.  While  every  heart  was  jubilant  with 
joy,  and  flooded  with  the  radiance  of  hope,  a  cloud 
was  gathering  over  the  sky  of  him  who  had  climbed 
to  his  Pisgah  and  had  seen  his  Canaan.  His  wife, 
devotedly  pious,  was  accustomed  to  share  with  her 
husband  in  his  trials  and  labors  and  sacrifices  for  the 
cause  of  Christ,  not  as  though  they  burdened,  but  as 
though  they  blessed  her.  She  had  entered  with  delight 
into  the  work  of  building  Tremont  Temple,  and  with- 
out a  murmur  saw  her  private  fortune  imperilled  for 
the  public  good.  The  snow-storm,  though  it  did  not 
deprive  the  Temple  of  an  audience,  was  the  cause  of 
her  sickness  and  sudden  death.  The  carriage  in  which 
she  rode  to  church  was  given  to  one,  who,  in  her 
opinion,  needed  it  more  than  herself,  while  she  walked 
home  through  the  snow ;  and  that  night,  while  her 
husband  was  asleep,  the  shadow  from  the  wing  of  the 
death-angel  fell  upon  the  partner  of  his  life. 

Her  moan  awaked  him.  Leaping  up  and  striking 
a  light,  he  found  her  suffering  from  paralysis.  Every- 
thing that  medical  skill  could  devise  was  tried,  but  in 
vain.  In  one  brief  week  Timothy  Gilbert  followed 
to  the  grave  the  joy  of  his  heart  and  the  light  of  his 
eyes,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years  and  five  months. 
The  papers  of  the  time  bear  abundant  testimony  to  her 
worth.  "  We  might,"  said  a  friend  in  the  "  Reflector," 
"  write  a  long  eulogy  upon  her  character  and  life  :  her 
quiet,  unobtrusive,  ever-useful  way  of  living  makes  her 
pathway  to  heaven  luminous."  The  number  of  min- 
isters, missionaries,  and  of  men,  who,  as  youth,  were 
made  welcome  to  her  table,  and  made  happy  by  her 
society,  attests  her  hospitality,'  generosity,  and  worth. 


DEATH    OF   MRS.    GILBERT.  1 63 

Among  the  number  is  Hon.  H.  S.  Washburn,  who 
wrote  this  brief  tribute  to  her  character,  which  was 
sung  at  her  funeral,  December  16,  1843  :  — 

Calmly  to  thy  grave  we  bear  thee  ; 

Sainted  mother,  take  thy  rest ! 
Tears  will  flow,  but  trust  in  Jesus 

Shall  assuage  the  wounded  breast. 

Widows  mourn  that  thou  hast  fallen, 

Orphans  shed  the  bitter  tear, 
And  the  House  of  Zion  weepeth : 

Who  is  not  a  mourner  here  ? 

Quickly  from  us  did  thy  spirit 

Unto  glory  pass  away  ; 
But  as  twilight  shadows  linger, 

Will  thy  blest  example  stay. 

Calmly  to  thy  grave  we  bear  thee ; 

Soft  will  be  thy  lowly  bed ; 
Tears  will  flow,  but  drops  of  gladness 

Mingle  with  the  tears  we  shed. 

On  February  1,  1844,  there  appears  in  the  "Re- 
flector" this  beautiful  expression  of  the  high  regard 
which  another  entertained  for  her  character  :  — 

Kindness  all  her  looks  expressed  ; 

Charity  was  every  word ; 
Her  the  eye  beheld  and  blessed, 

And  the  ear  rejoiced  that  heard. 

Wealth  with  free,  unsparing  hand, 

To  the  poorest  child  of  need, 
This  she  threw  around  the  land, 

Like  the  sower's  precious  seed. 


164  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Oft  her  silent  spirit  went, 

Like  an  angel  from  the  throne, 
On  benign  commissions  bent, 

In  the  fear  of  God  alone. 

Then  the  widow's  heart  would  sing, 
As  her  home  with  comfort  smiled, 

And  the  bliss  of  hope  would  spring, 
On  the  outcast  orphan  child. 

Help  to  all  she  did  dispense  — 

Gold,  instruction,  raiment,  food, 
Like  the  gifts  of  Providence, 

To  the  evil  and  the  good. 

Deeds  of  mercy,  deeds  unknown, 

Shall  eternity  record, 
Which  she  durst  not  call  her  own, 

For  she  did  them  to  the  Lord. 

Sudden,  yet  prepared,  she  died  ; 

And,  victorious  in  the  race, 
Won  the  crown  for  which  she  vied, 

Not  of  merit,  but  of  grace. 

Among  the  letters  of  condolence  received  are  two 
or  three  that  deserve  notice.  On  January  2,  1844,  Rev. 
Jacob  Knapp  wrote  Mr.  G.  from  Wilmington,  Del., 
"  We  felt  very  sensibly  the  shock  when  we  opened  your 
letter  and  read  the  sentence,  '  My  dear  wife  is  dead.' 
But,  as  you  say,  your  loss  is  her  gain.  I  know  not  that 
I  ever  found  the  person  in  all  my  travels  who  was 
more  crucified  to  the  world,  more  entirely  consecrated 
to  God,  more  constantly  and  ardently  breathing  out 
that  spirit  of  benevolence  and  good  will  to  man  which 
the  gospel  inspires,  than  your  dear  departed  compan- 


LETTER   FROM    DR.    SHARP.  1 65 

ion ;  and  you  and  many  others  have  reason  to  be 
thankful  that  God  had  spared  her  to  you  so  long,  that 
she  was  permitted  to  see  your  only  child  brought  up 
and  converted  before  she  was  taken  from  you.  We 
shall  never  forget  her  kindness  to  us.  She  was  all 
that  an  own  mother  could  be  to  my  wife,  children, 
and  myself;  and  beyond  all  doubt  she  is  now  reaping 
her  reward.  The  time  is  short  that  remains  for  us  to 
work.  Soon  you  will  all  meet  again  before  the  throne 
of  God,  for  I  believe  you  can  say  it  is  well  with  me, 
it  is  well  with  my  wife,  it  is  well  with  the  child." 

The  following  letter  was  received  by  Mr.  Gilbert 
from  his  early  pastor.  It  shows  that  though  they  were 
walking  in  separate  paths,  yet  the  bonds  of  sympathy 
remained  unbroken :  — 

Boston,  December  15,  1843. 

Afflicted  Friend  :  I  most  sincerely  sympathize 
with  you  in  your  irreparable  loss.  May  the  Father 
of  spirits  support  you  under  this  sudden  and  very  af- 
fecting bereavement.  I  knew  your  dear  Mary,  now 
no  more,  from  the  time  she  was  quite  a  young  woman  ; 
and  I  do  say,  with  truth,  but  with  a  melancholy  pleas- 
ure, that  amid  all  the  changes  and  fluctuations  of  life, 
I  have  never  for  a  moment  ceased  to  love  and  respect 
her  for  her  many  most  excellent  traits  of  character. 

She  was,  in  my  view,  distinguished  for  good  sense, 
great  candor  and  kindness,  a  thoughtful  consideration 
of  the  poor,  and  a  consistent  Christian  piety.  She 
will  be  a  loss  to  the  community,  and  a  loss  to  the 
church,  of  which  she  was  an  active  and  worthy  mem- 
ber, —  and  O,  what  a  loss  to  you  and  your  daughter  ! 


1 66  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

Well !     Be  still,  and  know  that  He  who  hath  permitted 
this  sad  event  is  God. 

I  shall  leave  the  city  to-morrow,  or  I  would  have 
attended  the  funeral  as  a  token  of  my  sincere  sympathy 
for  you  and  regard  for  her  memory. 
Yours  truly, 

Daniel  Sharp. 
Mr.  Timothy  Gilbert. 

But  Mr.  G.  could  not  pause  long  at  the  grave.  The 
current  of  life  swept  him  on,  and  the  cause  of  Christ 
demanded  his  energies  and  his  time.  He  did  not  get 
along  well  without  a  home.  His  daughter  was  at  this 
time  away  at  school,  and  he  felt  alone.  In  the  course 
of  time  he  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Alice  Davis, 
a  member  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  who  became 
his  wife  November  28,  1844.  In  this  choice  he  felt, 
and  had  cause  to  feel,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  guided 
him.  She  made  his  home  as  happy  as  a  home  could 
well  be.  In  prosperity,  as  in  adversity,  she  shared  his 
thoughts,  heard  what  he  wrote,  knew  his  plans, 
watched  his  moods,  and  gave  him  in  her  heart  a 
refuge  from  the  storms  that  beset  his  path. 

In  writing  to  her,  he  reveals  his  indebtedness  to 
his  first  wife,  his  anxiety  for  the  church,  and  his  hope 
that  her  influence  and  watchcare  may  stimulate  him 
to  the  better  discharge  of  his  Christian  duties. 

In  1846  they  adopted  Alice,  born  April  23,  1846, 
and  in  the  following  year,  April  27,  Martha  Fear 
Gilbert  was  born.  The  heartiest  of  welcomes  was 
given  to  this  last  birdling.  In  1851  Mr.  Gilbert  and 
wife   found   relaxation   in    a    trip    to    Europe,   which 


NATHANIEL   R.    COBB.  167 

afforded  enjoyment  and  rest.  During  his  absence  Mr. 
G.  wrote  letters  to  the  church,  to  his  pastor,  and  to 
his  workmen,  describing  the  scenes  best  calculated  to 
interest  them. 

Nathaniel  Ripley  Cobb,  who  was  born  near  Port- 
land, November  3,  1798,  and  who  died  on  the  22d  of 
May,  1834,  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  life 
and  fortunes  of  Mr.  Gilbert.  Mr.  Cobb  was  one  year 
younger  than  his  friend,  had  been  baptized  one  year 
later,  and  met  him  for  the  first  time  in  Charles  Street 
Baptist  Church  in  1819.  In  182 1,  Mr.  Cobb  drew  up 
and  signed  the  following  document :  "  By  the  grace  of 
God,  I  will  never  be  worth  more  than  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  I  will  give  one  fourth  of  the  net  profits  of  my 
business  to  religious  and  charitable  purposes.  If  I 
am  ever  worth  twenty  thousand  dollars,  I  will  give 
half  of  my  net  income.  If  I  am  ever  worth  thirty 
thousand  dollars,  I  will  give  three  fourths,  and  the 
whole  after  fifty  thousand  dollars."  To  this  purpose 
he  religiously  adhered.  Mr.  Gilbert,  though  he  was 
never  permitted  to  acquire  an  independent  fortune, 
yet,  as  a  contributor  for  benevolent  purposes,  he  takes 
rank  with  the  foremost  men  of  his  time.  His  course 
towards  the  poor  won  for  him  the  title  of  "  Banker  for 
the  Poor."  Hundreds  deposited  with  him  their  sav- 
ings. Mechanics,  apprentices,  and  sewing  women, 
all  felt  that  their  money  was  safe  in  his  hands. 

Great  numbers  came  to  him  for  loans  —  most  of 
them  for  small  amounts.  Instances  of  young  men  com- 
ing to  borrow  one  hundred  dollars  are  remembered. 
He  would  turn  from  his  desk,  search  them  with  his 
keen  black  eye,  inquire  into   the    condition    of  their 


l6S  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

business  and  prospects,  and  then,  after  ascertaining 
their  wants,  would  frequently  rebuke  them  for  not 
planning  more  wisely,  when,  the  lecture  over,  he  wrould 
place  an  adequate  sum  in  their  hands,  and  turn  to  his 
work. 

Timothy  Gilbert's  consecration  to  Christ  of  all  he 
had  deserves  mention.  We  find  in  his  own  hand- 
writing a  paper  which  reads  as  follows  :  — 

"  Having,  as  I  trusty  through  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  influence  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  been 
renewed  and  made  an  heir  of  the  heavenly  inheritance 
which  shall  endure  forever,  and  whereas,  through  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  my  efforts,  and  his  guidance  in 
my  business  affairs,  he  has  given  me  a  portion  of  this 
world's  goods,  and  thus,  with  it  the  means  of  doing  good 
to  my  fellow-men,  and  at  this  time  is  giving  indica- 
tions of  still  greater  enlargement  of  my  pecuniary 
resources,  which,  with  the  examples  around  me,  may 
tempt  me  to  adopt  a  more  expensive  style  of  living 
by  indulging  in  luxuries  which  I  now  think  incon- 
sistent with  the  claims  of  my  Redeemer,  who  said, 
t  Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God,'  —  I 
therefore  solemnly  promise  to  hold  all  I  now  have  of 
this  world's  goods,  as  well  as  my  time  and  my  in- 
fluence, as  the  Lord's,  and  to  enter  into  no  speculation 
or  engagement  in  business  or  expense  for  myself  or 
my  family  or  relatives,  either  for  travelling,  recreation, 
amusement,  or  dress,  furniture,  dwellings,  or  in  any 
other  respect  that  I  do  not  conscientiously,  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,  think  would  be  in  accordance  with  his 
will,  and  meet  his  favor  and  approbation,  and  that 
I  will  daily  ask  him  to  guide  me  in  all  these  things, 


BURNING    OF   TREMONT    TEMPLE.  1 69 

and  only  prosper  me  in  my  business  and  other  plans 
so  far  as  they  are  in  accordance  with  his  will.  And  I 
hereby  engage  to  my  holy  Redeemer,  that  I  will  volun- 
tarily hold  all  the  property  I  now  possess  of  every 
kind,  as  well  as  myself,  subject  to  his  will,  not  seeking 
to  lay  up  in  store  for  the  future  wants  of  my  family, 
remembering  the  promise  that  the  '  Lord  will  provide,' 
and  that  if  I  act  the  part  of  a  faithful  steward,  it  will 
be  safer  to  trust  in  him  for  our  future  requirements 
than  in  any  invested  earthly  treasure."  In  like  man- 
ner he  provided  that  the  revenue  from  his  business 
should  be  consecrated  to  the  glory  of  God.  Beneath 
the  signature  of  our  lamented  brother  may  be  found 
this  sentence  :  "I  heartily  concur  with  my  husband  in 
the  foregoing.     Alice  Gilbert,  June  19,  1850." 

At  this  time,  be  it  remembered,  the  profits  from  his 
business  amounted  to  some  ten  to  fifteen  thousand  dol- 
lars per  annum. 

Under  date  of  July  28, 1853,  in  pencil,  it  is  recorded, 
"  Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  the  Lord  has 
greatly  changed  my  prospects  in  business,  has  almost 
entirely  cut  off  all  hope  of  success,  has  brought  me 
into  circumstances  of  great  pecuniary  anxiety  and 
peril,  so  that  my  fears  are  excited  lest  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  pay  my  just  debts,  and  thereby  become  bank- 
rupt. Besides  all  this,  the  Lord  has  hidden  his  face 
from  me,  so  that  I  cannot  see  and  behold  the  face  of  a 
reconciled  God  and  Father — cannot  get  a  nearness  to 
him  by  prayer." 

Pause  here  and  consider  the  facts.  In  1850  he  was  at 
the  zenith  of  his  prosperity.  We  have  seen  him  laying 
his  all  on  God's  altar.  The  consecration  was  made 
8 


170  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

June  19.  We  have  seen  him  imperilling  life  and 
property  in  September  of  the  same  year  in  carrying 
out  the  principle  of  the  commandment,  "  Whatsoever 
ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them." 

Three  years  are  gone.  On  the  night  of  March  31, 
1S52,  Tremont  Temple  was  burned.  We  have  not 
time  to  dwell  upon  the  gloom  which  overspread  the 
church,  and  which  overshadowed  the  deacon's  heart. 
The  debt  on  the  original  building  was  being  extin- 
guished by  the  revenue.  The  church  was  paying 
annually  twelve  hundred  dollars  towards  its  extinction. 
What  shall  be  done?  Turn  now  to  another  memo- 
randum, and  we  find,  under  his  own  hand,  a  confirma- 
tion of  this  statement,  namely :  "  Deacon  Gilbert,  to 
whose  sacrificing  labors  and  untiring  zeal  this  enter- 
prise especially  owed  its  origin,  and  very  much  of  its 
success  thus  far,  urged  from  convictions  of  duty  the 
necessity  of  going  forward  in  the  work.  On  the  25th 
of  May,  the  foundation  of  the  present  edifice  was  laid. 
The  large  Temple  was  first  occupied  on  December 
25,  1853.  Ten  years  and  eighteen  days  after  the  first 
Temple  was  dedicated,  the  second  building,  grander, 
larger,  and  more  expensive  than  the  first,  was  conse- 
crated to  the  service  of  Almighty  God." 

Bear  in  mind  that  we  have  been  reading  from  a 
paper  signed  July,  1853.  At  the  time  it  was  written 
he  had  placed  his  all  in  the  scales  for  God.  He  had 
kept  his  vow.  Ruin  was  before  him,  but  he  dared  not 
stop,  and  the  heaviest  of  all  his  sorrows  came  from  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Saviour's  face. 

Farther  on  he  writes,  "  I  know  he  is  good,  and  will 


HIS   RESOLUTION.  171 

be,  and  that  I  cannot  withhold  an  acknowledgment 
of  his  goodness  and  righteousness,  even  if  he  sends  me 
to  perdition/' 

Picture  the  scene.  There  is  a  man,  whose  private 
fortune  is  threatened,  staggering  under  an  additional 
burden  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  is  in- 
creasing every  moment,  and  yet  there  is  no  reference 
to  it,  or  to  anything  else  he  has  done  or. attempted. 

Again  he  writes,  "  If  He  takes  from  me  everything, 
I  beg  of  him  not  to  suffer  me  to  complain.  All  I  ask 
is,  that  he  will  permit  me  to  pay  my  just  debts,  so  that 
no  one  to  whom  I  am  indebted  shall  ever  suffer  by  me. 
But  more  especially  so  that  the  cause  of  our  blessed 
Master  may  not  be  injured  or  reproached  by  anything 
I  have  done  or  failed  to  do.  Beyond  that  I  commit 
myself,  my  dear  and  beloved  wife,  my  children,  and 
grandchildren,  to  the  tender  care  of  Him  who  careth 
for  us  all,  and  who  is  as  kind  when  he  afflicts  as  when 
we  think  he  blesses  us  in  worldly  matters." 

Having  emerged  into  the  sunshine,  we  find  this 
prayer  :  "  O  Lord,  let  it  ever  be  the  feeling  of  my  heart 
to  exclaim  with  David,  '  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I 
awake  in  thy  likeness,'  perfectly  pure  and  holy.  O, 
let  this  be  my  portion,  and  I  ask  no  other."  Again 
he  cries,  "  '  Lift  thou  up  upon  me  the  light  of  thy  coun- 
tenance, and  let  me  see  thy  glory.'  T.  G." 

Another  memorandum,  upon  the  top  of  which  is 
written,  "  This  will  explain  itself"  must  follow 
here :  — 

"  Fearing  that  my  pecuniary  credit  may  suffer  in  the 
event  of  my  sudden  decease,  as  I  have  reason  to  fear 


17-  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

may  happen,  and  as  no  one  knows  the  facts  of  my 
history  as  I  know  them,  I  make  this  memorandum, 
written  on  the  13th  of  August,  i860,  for  the  informa- 
tion of  friends  who  may  desire  to  learn  the  motives  by 
which  my  life  was  influenced  :  — 

"When  I  first  began  in  business  with  Mr.  E.  R. 
Currier  I  had  very  moderate  expectations,  and  when  I 
left  him  and  we  dissolved,  nry  anticipations  were  very 
moderate,  and  even  less  than  at  first. 

"  But  gradually  die  Lord  prospered  me  ;  and  when, 
in  1843,  because  I  felt  that  God  called  me  to  do  it,  I, 
with  others,  purchased  the  Tremont  Theatre,  and  fit- 
ted it  up  for  a  place  of  worship,  I  did  it  —  because  I 
dared  not  do  otherwise  —  under  a  deep  sense  of  my  pe- 
cuniary weakness,  and  relying  wholly  upon  the  Lord. 
To  my  surprise  the  Lord  most  wonderfully  prospered 
my  business,  and  this  enterprise,  which  was  never  in- 
tended, from  first  to  last,  to  be  of  any  pecuniary  benefit 
to  me  individually,  or  to  either  of  the  others  associ- 
ated with  me  in  the  undertaking,  proved  to  be  a  bless- 
ing. Without  ascribing  undue  praise  to  my  own  exer- 
tions, I  claim  that  it  is  not  probable  that  either  or  all 
of  the  trustees  would  have  undertaken  the  enterprise 
if  I  had  not  urged  them  on.  Previous  to  1852  the 
Temple  was  in  a  fair  way  to  pay  its  debts  from  its  in- 
come, in  fifteen  years  there  being  but  thirty  thousand 
three  hundred  and  twenty-two  dollars  and  eighty-five 
cents  remaining. 

"In  1852,  when  the  old  building  was  destroyed,  and 
the  question  of  rebuilding  or  abandoning  the  enter- 
prise was  to  be  decided,  I  again  felt  a  necessity  laid 
upon  me  to  rebuild,  as  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  practica- 


PECUNIARY    TROUBLES.  1 73 

ble,  although  brother  Gould  was  opposed  to  it,  and 
brother  Shipley  only  consented  providing  it  could  be 
done  without  his  assuming  any  personal  responsibility 
beyond  what  was  necessary  to  make  contracts  or  ex- 
ecute mortgages.  Brother  Damrell  joined  me  in  fa- 
voring it,  without  reservation. 

"  When  completed,  the  building  was  found  to  have 
cost  more  than  double  the  amount  we  had  first  esti- 
mated. This,  I  found,  was  more  than  I  could  man- 
age, even  with  the  credit  of  the  firm,  which  was  freely 
used  with  the  consent  of  Mr.  Jameson,  who  was  my 
only  partner  at  the  time.  Hence  I  found  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  sell  the  property  to  save  all  concerned 
from  bankruptcy. 

"  Our  firm  had  been  doing  business  with ,  of 

New  York,  and  his  indebtedness  had  become  large, 
which,  with  the  Temple  debts,  made  it  seem  impos- 
sible to  stop  with  him  ;  and  therefore  we  had  com- 
menced, and  did  continue,  to  renew  his  paper,  and  to 
send  him  more  property,  hoping  he  would  reduce 
his  indebtedness  to  us  thereby,  until,  when  he  failed, 
he  owed  us  over  thirty  thousand  dollars ;  and  in  the 
end  it  was  a  total  loss  of  not  less  than  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  most  of  which  would  probably  have  been 
saved,  had  we  been  free  from  the  debts  of  Tremont 
Temple,  so  that  we  might  have  refused  to  renew  his 
paper  or  send  him  merchandise.  Fearing  to  so  act, 
lest  his  paper  would  all  come  upon  us,  we  shrank 
from  the  responsibility,  and  bore  it  as  best  we  could." 

Here  is  a  gleam  of  satisfaction.  "  Had  his  failure 
occurred  only  a  few  months  sooner,  our  firm  and  the 
whole  Temple  enterprise  would  have  been  involved 


1/4  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

in  hopeless  ruin.  The  Temple  debts  were  assumed 
by  those  who  took  the  property  off  our  hands ;  yet 

there  is  no  doubt  our  loss  by  is  mainly  owing 

to  our  connection  with  the  Temple  at  the  same  time. 

"  I  leave  this  as  my  dying  testimony,  that  the  Tem- 
ple church  may  know,  and  all  others,  that  there  was 
no  other  alternative  that  I  could  see,  but  that  the  prop- 
erty must  be  sold  to  save  it  from  immediate  ruin. 

"  And  now  our  firm  owes  debts  of  honor  that  we 
at  present  are  wholly  unable  to  pay  or  secure,  owing 
to  our  struggles  with  these  embarrassments  for  years  in 
a  dull  and  oppressed  state  of  trade.  We  had  hoped 
from  year  to  year  that  we  might  again  have  a  return 
of  prosperity,  such  as  characterized  us  in  former  years, 
when  our  profits  ranged  from  ten  to  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  per  annum. 

"  For  more  than  three  years  past  we  have  been  hold- 
ing on  for  some  improvement  in  trade,  and  all  the  time 
we  have  been  losing  rather  than  gaining  in  our  means. 
We  could  not  stop  without  loss  and  suffering  to  others, 
and  not  having  lost  all  hope  of  bettering  our  condi- 
tion, we  kept  on.  If  others  are  finally  left  to  suffer  by 
this  means,  what  I  ask  of  them  is,  for  Christ's  sake,  to 
forgive  —  those  of  my  family  and  friends  who  are  left 
destitute,  not  by  extravagant  living  or  worthless  ex- 
penditures, but  by  an  honest  endeavor  to  rescue  my 
affairs  from  misfortune  and  to  serve  God  with  my 
means.  I  ask  for  my  dear  wife  and  children  the  sym- 
pathy of  those  who  have  suffered  by  me.  I  have  kept 
nothing  back  for  myself  or  family,  as  the  Lord  knows. 

"T.  Gilbert. 

"August  16,  I860." 


PECUNIARY   TROUBLES.  1 75 

Review  the  scene,  and  behold  that  noble  form,  bent 
with  burdens  too  heavy  to  be  borne,  leaving  this 
record  for  the  church  and  the  world,  and  praying  for 
forgiveness  and  asking  sympathy  for  wife  and  children. 
There  is  sublimity  in  his  humility,  and  grandeur  in  his 
patience. 

It  is  something  to  lose  property,  but  more  to  lose 
position.  This  was  his  next  trial.  He  was  elected 
a  director  of  the  Boylston  Bank,  October  6,  1854. 
Three  months  afterwards,  January  9,  1855,  ^e  was 
chosen  president,  and  served  the  institution  with  great 
fidelity  until  financial  difficulties  made  it  his  duty  to 
tender  his  resignation,  which  was  accepted  November 
19,  i860. 

Uncomplainingly  he  laid  down  the  trust  which  had 
been  to  him  a  source  of  mingled  pleasure  and  profit. 
He  bore  with  him  to  his  retirement  the  confidence  of 
the  directors.  They  believed  him  to  be  incorruptibly 
honest,  kind  to  a  fault,  when  it  was  in  his  power  to 
help  a  friend,  and  stern,  if  not  stubborn,  when  some 
principle  was  at  stake  which  demanded  protection  and 
support. 


176 


CHAPTER    IX. 

CAUSES    WHICH    LED    TO    THE    RESIGNATION    OF   REV. 

N.  COLVER. MR.  GILBERT'S   CHARACTER  IN  A  NEW 

LIGHT. DEFECTS  OF  EXTEMPORANEOUS  PREACH- 
ING.—  HIS  VIEWS  CONCERNING  SALARY,  AND  STUDY, 
AND    VISITING. 

History  should  be  impartial.  It  seldom  is.  Biog- 
raphies should  be  truthful.  They  seldom  are.  The 
Bible  way  is  the  best  way.  That  presents  men  as  they 
were.  Their  faults  and  virtues  intermingle.  David 
sinned.  We  know  what  were  the  consequences  and 
the  condemnation,  Moses  made  one  glaring  mistake. 
It  stands  forth  unconcealed.  A  story  is  told  of  a  min- 
ister in  Virginia  who  had  a  horse  that  had  faults.  His 
black  servant  offered  to  exchange  him.  He  started  on 
his  mission,  and  chanced  to  come  to  a  brook  where  a 
stranger  was  watering  a  horse  that  delighted  the  eye 
of  this  comzoissettr  of  horse  flesh.  He  proposed  a 
trade.  The  stranger  inquired  the  reason.  The  ser- 
vant replied,  "  This  horse  has  two  serious  faults." 
"What  are  they?"  "  One  is,  my  master  is  a  minister, 
and  the  horse  is  white,  and  every  time  he  goes  to 
preach  he  gets  covered  with  white  hair."  "  Well, 
what  is  the  other  ?  "  The  African  scratched  his  head, 
and  declared  he  did  not  just  remember  what  the  other 
fault  was.     The  man,  supposing  that  it  was  something 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF    MR.    GILBERT.  l>]>] 

like  the  first,  transferred  his  saddle,  and  exchanged 
horses.  The  next  day  he  brought  him  back  in  a  wild 
frenzy,  exclaiming,  "  You  black  rascal,  this  horse  is 
blind  !  "  "  O,  yes,"  said  the  servant,  "  that  is  the  other 
fault." 

In  writing  biographies  many  forget  the  great  faults, 
and  only  notice  the  minor  ones.  A  man,  as  God  made 
him,  means  something.  He  is  a  schoolmaster,  and 
teaches  lessons  by  his  faults  as  well  as  by  his  virtues. 

The  character  of  Deacon  Gilbert  had  its  sharp  cor- 
ners, its  obtrusive  angles.  He  had  virtues  that  will 
keep  his  memory  green  for  years,  and  faults  that  will 
be  remembered  until  this  generation  are  in  their  graves. 
That  God's  glory  was  secured  by  them,  or  in  spite  of 
them,  will  appear. 

He  was  an  earnest  advocate  for  special  means  of 
grace  for  the  conversion  of  souls.  His  pastor  could 
not  toil  too  earnestly  in  that  direction.  His  brethren 
and  sisters  shared  the  desire.  The  church  is  revival- 
loving,  and  in  earnest.  Clement  Drew  and  Joseph 
Sherwin,  his  associate  deacons,  with  Nathaniel  Colver, 
their  pastor,  were  men  well  calculated  to  prosecute  the 
harvest  work. 

Whenever  the  prospects  grew  dark  for  the  cause  of 
truth,  and  the  clouds  of  infidelity  began  to  lower,  a 
day  of  fasting,  and  humiliation,  and  prayer  was  the 
alternative  to  which  they  gladly  turned. 

In  the  support  of  a  pastor  he  had  peculiar,  and,  we 
think,  erroneous  views.  It  was  doubtless  a  mistake 
which  grew  out  of  the  organization  of  his  nature.  He 
believed  that  the  Temple  could  never  be  a  resort  for 
the  rich.  He  therefore  acted  upon  the  principle  that 
8* 


I  7$  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

it  must  be  made  the  home  for  the  very  poor.  He 
forgot  the  middling  classes  that  are  liberal  to  a  fault, 
the  strangers  who  cheerfully  contribute  to  .the  support 
of  the  gospel,  and  the  men  of  brain,  of  heart,  and 
wealth  who  could  sympathize  with  his  thought,  and 
sacrifice  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  which  lay  near 
his  heart. 

This  caused  him  to  feel  that  the  salary  of  the  pastor 
should  never  exceed  a  thousand  dollars,  and  that  the 
residue  should  be  provided  for,  by  voluntary  contribu- 
tions. Hence,  while  he  objected  to  raising  the  salary, 
he  gave  cheerfully  and  largely  for  the  education  of  the 
children  of  the  pastor,  and  for  such  other  objects  as 
appealed  to  his  generosity.  In  religious  as  in  other 
matters,  he  was  exacting,  and  so  became  a  trial  to  his 
pastor,  and  oftentimes  to  his  friends.  His  zeal  was 
quenchless.  It  never  knew  abatement.  He  felt  that 
others  should  be  like  him. 

He  could  not  understand  the  necessity  which  makes 
it  imperative  for  a  minister  to  seek  recreation  in  other 
pursuits.  Mr.  Colver  had  an  inventive  genius,  and 
was  fond  of  tools.  Lyman  Beecher  sawed  wood. 
Nathaniel  Colver  got  up  designs  for  spring  beds  and 
what  not.  Deacon  Gilbert  had  little  or  no  sympathy 
with  these  pursuits,  and  would  quite  likely  inquire  as 
to  the  condition  of  some  sick  sister  or  some  inquiring 
soul,  when  the  pastor  was  in  a  glow  over  some  new 
invention  ;  thus  rebuking  him  in  his  quiet  and  provok- 
ing way  for  neglect.  Indeed  to  such  an  extent  did  this 
disposition  lead  him,  that  in  consequence  of  it,  more 
than  all  else,  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  Tremont 
Street  Church  led  to  resign.     The  correspondence  is 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF   MR.    GILBERT.  1 79 

kind,  and  reveals  the  characteristics  of  the  two  men. 
The  one  Was  an  eloquent  extemporaneous  preacher, 
who  had  fought  a  good  fight,  who  could  get  up  a 
sermon  with  but  little  trouble,  who  was  ever  ready  for 
a  discussion,  who  was  quick  at  a  retort,  witty  when 
not  savage,  and  always  open-handed  and  open-hearted. 
He  did  not  work  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  in 
a  year  as  he  worked  on  some  special  occasions.  Had 
he  done  so,  he  would  never  have  accomplished  those 
tasks,  and  ploughed  those  furrows  in  Boston  which 
even  now  ridge  the  past. 

The  other  was  a  deacon  full  of  one  engrossing 
thought.  Everything  •  must  bend  to  that.  Business, 
pleasure,  society,  everything  was  made  secondary. 
His  hand  was  ever  on  the  handle  of  the  bellows.  But 
he  never  did,  and  he  never  could  have  succeeded  without 
the  help  of  his  giant  brother,  wrho  toiled  and  rested. 

Deacon  Gilbert  did  not  appreciate  this  fact,  and  so 
worried  the  life  and  disturbed  the  peace  of  his  pastor. 
His  views  in  regard  to  the  management  of  men  were, 
to  some  extent,  erroneous.  He  had  in  him  a  way 
which  sometimes  seemed  despotic,  yet  he  did  not  wish 
to  tyrannize.  He  felt  very  keenly,  and  his  feelings 
would  reveal  themselves  in  unpropitious  ways  and  at 
unpropitious  times.  We  do  not  claim  that  his  pastor 
was  wholly  in  the  right.  That  the  deacon  had  good 
and  sufficient  reasons  for  his  conduct  none  can  deny. 
It  is  known  that  Mr.  Colver  was  not  at  all  times  equal. 
His  very  temperament  made  him  great  for  an  emer- 
gency, and  commonplace  on  ordinary  occasions. 

He  will  not  agree  with  this  opinion,  nor  will  that 
class  who  pride  themselves  on  their  ability  in  extern- 


I  So  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

poraneous  speaking ;  yet  it  remains  true  that  a  man 
who  speaks  without  a  written  sermon  cannot  retain 
that  freshness,  that  variety,  that  copiousness  in  lan- 
oTiasre  which  the  man  can  who  writes. 

The  extemporaneous  preacher  runs  into  ruts,  in  his 
divisions  of  his  discourse,  in  his  language,  and  in  the 
forms  of  expression,  which  would  be  changed  at  the 
table  with  a  pen  in  his  hand.  On  his  feet  a  man  will 
say  the  most  forcible  word,  and  adopt  the  most  forcible 
form  of  expression  that  occurs  to  him  at  the  moment. 
It  is  quite  natural  for  the  expression  that  occurred  to 
him  the  week  previous  to  occur  again.  Let  Dr.  Colver, 
with  his  mighty  power  as  an  expositor,  and,  in  getting 
at  the  i;  nut"  and  "  cracking  it"  and  "  taking  out  the 
meat,"  let  him  preach  before  any  audience  for  years, 
and  he  will  feel  the  need  of  the  products  which  are 
only  gleaned  on  the  harvest  fields  of  a  pastor's  study. 
This  being  the  state  of  the  case,  Deacon  Gilbert  saw 
in  every  new  invention  of  his  pastor  a  barrier  to  those 
pursuits  which  were  essential  to  success. 

Another  truth  deserves  to  be  told.  Deacon  Gilbert 
thought  that  there  should  be  more  visiting  done  by  the 
pastor.  The  workshop,  in  his  opinion,  stood  in  the 
way  of  that,  and  so,  he  claimed,  inquirers  were  neg- 
lected, and  the  sick  were  forgotten.  This  pained  him, 
and  he  attempted  to  remedy  the  difficulties  in  his  own 
way.  That  visiting  must  be  done  all  admit.  That  a 
pastor  who  has  been  settled  for  years  in  a  place,  learns 
to  neglect  this  duty  the  first  of  any  is  also  true.  Visit- 
ing accumulates.  It  becomes  like  a  mountain.  In  the 
Temple  it  is  a  very  high  mountain.  To  see  all  is  im- 
possible.     To   satisfy   the   desire  is  alike   impossible. 


EXTEMPORANEOUS    PREACHING.  151 

To  neglect  all  is  the  natural  result.  Again  he  felt, 
that,  while  his  pastor  was  mighty  in  the  Scriptures 
and  in  argument,  his  sermons  lacked  freshness,  be- 
cause he  did  not  visit  and  come  in  contact  with  the 
wants  of  the  sick  and  poor,  and  that  they  lacked 
beauty,  because,  though  the  principle  of  the  text  was 
evolved,  there  was  little  of  the  graces  of  oratory  which 
characterized  the  periods  of  an  Everett,  who  polished 
every  sentence  with  care,  and  fashioned  every  passage 
after  some  classic  model  of  excellence. 

That  he  was  right  we  do  not  affirm.  That  study 
pays ;  that  ploughing  in  the  closet  helps  the  harvests 
of  the  pulpit ;  that  there  is  no  place  in  the  world 
where  culture,  fancy,  imagination,  toil,  and  erudition 
yield  such  dividends  as  when  employed  by  him  who 
faces  from  week  to  week  an  audience  of  intelligent, 
of  tired,  of  hungry  men,  is  abundantly  apparent. 

The  full  houses  in  our  large  cities  are  the  counter- 
parts of  full  brains  and  full  hearts.  The  tricks  of 
oratory,  its  studied  graces,  everything  that  allures,  and 
attracts,  and  commands  when  exhibited  in  the  pulpit, 
meets  with  a  welcome  from  the  pew. 

Admitting  that  this  statement  of  the  case  is  correct, 
how  shall  the  result  be  reached  ?  By  starving  a  man, 
and  finding  fault  with  him,  or  by  encouraging  him  ? 

There  are  men  who  would  have  gone  to  Mr.  Colver, 
and  said,  "  Sir,  you  have  mighty  powers  of  oratory. 
Your  imagination  is  brilliant.  Your  capacity  to  visit, 
to  administer  to  the  social  wants  of  the  people,  and  to 
exert  an  influence  over  your  ministering  brethren  is 
immense.  Please  bend  every  energy  to  the  fulfilment 
of  your  mission,  and  we  will  place  your  salary  where 


I  S3  MEMOIR   OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

your  living  need  not  enter  into  your  thoughts."  Adopt 
such  a  course,  and  there  is  not  a  minister  on  earth 
who  knows  Christ  but  would  concentrate  every  power 
of  his  mind  and  heart. 

The  opposite  course  wras  pursued.  Advice  was  given, 
questions  were  asked,  at  times  when  no  man  could 
bear  it,  as,  for  instance,  when  about  entering  the  pulpit 
or  prayer-meeting ;  and  then,  to  add  to  all  the  rest, 
the  salary  was  raised  in  spite  of,  rather  than  wTith,  the 
consent  of  the  one  who  gave  the  advice.  The  follow- 
ing gives  an  insight  to  his  views  concerning  the  subject : 

"  I  have  frequently,  and  that  recently,  said  that  you 
deserved  a  large  salary,  as  much  and  more  than  any 
of  the  ministers  in  the  city ;  for  no  one  that  had  even 
two  thousand  dollars  gave  away  as  much  as  you  did, 
and  did  not  entertain  so  many  of  the  poor  ministers 
from  the  country ;  and,  if  it  could  be  raised,  I  should 
with  all  my  heart  advocate  your  having  it.  But  I  have 
never  thought  your  salary  should  have  been  raised 
above  twelve  hundred  dollars,  and  have  never  voted 
for  the  increase  when  made,  yet  have  always  said  I 
was  willing  to  pay  my  proportion  even  of  the  advance, 
and  should  undoubtedly  in  some  way  have  done  some- 
thing myself  for  you,  if  it  had  not  been  raised,  as  I 
did  while  it  was  only  one  thousand  dollars.  I  still 
think  it  was  a  mistake  in  raising  it.  I  well  remember 
that  one  of  the  causes  that  operated  in  my  own  mind 
as  an  objection  to  raising  it  was  that  I  feared  it  would 
be  the  cause  of  your  removal.  Knowing  that  more  than 
nine  tenths  of  all  our  members  did  not  get  even  one  half 
of  twelve  hundred  dollars  to  support  their  families  upon, 
therefore  I  believed,  and  I  think  the  sequel  has  proved 


pastor's  salary.  183 

me  correct  that  it  would  be  harder  to  get  our  members 
who  are  poor  to  do  what  they  could  if  your  salary  was 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  than  it  would  if  it  was  twelve 
hundred  dollars  or  less.  And  I  sincerely  and  conscien- 
tiously think  that  while  our  church  and  congregation  are 
composed  of  the  class  it  now  is  and  must  necessarily  be, 
until  the  debt  of  the  house  is  so  reduced  as  to  make  that 
easy,  the  salary  should  never  exceed  one  thousand  dol- 
lars. After  the  debt  is  provided  for,  there  may  be  more 
of  a  temptation  for  persons  of  property  to  join  us.  Until 
then  one  thousand  dollars  is  the  highest  salary  we  ought 
to  think  of  paying,  and,  if  any  can  give  as  individuals  be- 
sides, let  them  do  so.    It  was  with  these  views  I  helped 

in  educating when  you  first  came  among  us,  so  as 

to  keep  the  salary  at  least  nominally  lower,  and  experi- 
ence convinces  me  that  I  was  correct  in  my  judgment." 
These  were  his  views.  It  is  unfortunate  that  he 
cherished  them,  both  because  of  the  influence  they 
exerted  upon  others  and  upon  himself.  When  it  was 
shown  him  that  Tremont  Temple  could  never  be  made 
a  success  in  this  way,  he  readily  abandoned  the  main 
features  of  his  plan.  He  saw  that  it  was  easier  to 
support  a  man  who  can  command  a  large  salary  than 
it  is  to  support  one  of  the  opposite  class.  Though  the 
majority  of  the  people  worshipping  in  a  free-seated 
house  of  worship  may  be  poor,  it  does  not  follow  that 
they  are  mean.  The  young  men  who  throng  the  gal- 
leries are  ever  ready  to  respond  to  appeals  for  aid,  as 
was  repeatedly  shown  during  the  war.  They  spend 
money  for  pleasure,  for  society,  and  are  quite  as  will- 
ing, if  not  more  willing,  to  consecrate  a  portion  of 
their  earnings  to  the  support  of  the  cause  of  Christ. 


I S4  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

The  character  of  the  congregation  seems  not  to  have 
been  understood.  When,  under  the  new  regime,  it 
was  proposed  to  raise  the  large  proportion  of  the 
salary  by  subscription,  none  were  more  surprised  than 
were  the  oldest  worshippers  at  the  Temple  when  the 
returns  came  in  which  provided  an  income  of  over 
five  thousand  dollars  to  meet  current  expenses.  When 
the  claims  of  societies  which  had  hitherto  been  ig- 
nored were  presented,  the  subscriptions  in  their  behalf 
reached  a  large  sum.  When  the  echoes  of  the  guns 
at  Antietam  disturbed  the  quiet  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
caused  the  cry  to  run  from  church  to  church,  that 
worship  should  be  suspended,  and  that  the  worship- 
pers should  betake  themselves  to  the  preparation  of 
lint,  Tremont  Temple  was  thrown  open,  and  the  prod- 
uct of  the  labor  there  bestowed  found  its  way  earliest 
to  the  battle-field.  Afterwards,  when  Washington  was 
beleaguered  with  foes,  and  the  call  came  for  minute 
men  for  action,  the  pastor  explained  the  want,  and  two 
hundred  men  before  Monday  noon  were  enrolled  for 
action.  When  the  Christian  Commission  issued  their 
call  for  aid,  the  subscription  of  the  Temple  stood 
grandly  forth  among  the  larger  contributions  for  that 
worthy  object.  These  facts  reveal  the  character  of 
the  congregation,  and  prove  that  they  can  sustain  any 
man  who  commands  their  respect  and  love.  The  gen- 
erous policy  begets  a  generous  spirit.  It  is  no  more 
difficult  to  make  it  fashionable  to  give  than  it  is  to 
make  it  popular  to  withhold.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  liberal 
to  a  fault  himself,  but  had  learned  to  doubt  the  lib- 
erality of  others.  When  at  last  the  church  rallied 
round  the  banner,  and  placed  their  choicest  gifts  on 


HIS    HAPPINESS.  185 

God's  altar,  and  pledged  their  pastor  a  generous  sup- 
port, and  led  off  in  all  generous  acts  and  deeds,  none 
were  happier,  and  none  were  in  advance  of  Timothy 
Gilbert.  His  smiling  face,  his  joyous  speech,  and 
thankful  prayers  revealed  his  appreciation  of  God's 
goodness  to  the  Temple  of  his  love  and  the  people 
of  his  choice. 


i86 


CHAPTER  X. 

RESIGNATION    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     COLVER. TRE- 

MONT    TEMPLE     BURNT. A    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE 

NEW   TEMPLE. DEACON    GILBERT'S   VIEW    OF    THE 

ENTERPRISE. 

In  1852  Nathaniel  Colver  tendered  his  resignation 
as  pastor  of  the  Tremont  Street  Church.  On  the  30th 
of  March  he  sent  away  his  goods  to  Abington,  and 
came  to  pass  the  night  at  the  house  of  Deacon  Gilbert. 
That  night,  at  one  o'clock,  the  bells  rang  the  alarm 
for  fire,  and  before  four  o'clock  the  Tremont  Temple 
was  in  rains. 

"  Who  fathoms  the  Eternal  Thought? 
Who  talks  of  scheme  and  plan  ? 
The  Lord  is  God.     He  needeth  not 
The  poor  device  of  man." 

Turning  to  the  diary  of  Deacon  Gilbert  we  natu- 
rally look  for  a  murmur.  We  find  it  not.  Is  there 
no  compunction  of  conscience?  None.  What  was 
right  yesterday  is  right  to-day.     Here  is  the  record  :  — 

"  This  morning,  about  one  o'clock,  Tremont  Tem- 
ple took  fire,  and  was  a  heap  of  ruins  by  four  A.  M. 
Went  down  in  the  forenoon  to  T.  Gould's,  and  met 
with  trustees.  —  Evening.  Church  met  at  my  house 
—  from  forty  to  fifty  present." 


NEW   TREMONT    TEMPLE.  1 87 

Thursday  he  agitates  the  question  of  rebuilding. 
Friday  the  question  is  considered  in  a  full  meeting. 
Sabbath,  Rev.  N.  Colver  preaches  his  farewell  ser- 
mon, in  Marlboro'  Chapel.  Now  begins  his  march 
from  bank  to  insurance  office,  from  trustees  to  archi- 
tect. His  private  business  is  neglected,  and  all  for 
this. 

On  Wednesday,  April  7,  the  church  hold  a  church 
meeting  at  his  house,  and  vote  to  refer  the  matter  of 
rebuilding  the  Temple  to  the  trustees.  What  say 
the  trustees?  Here  is  the  record  in  his  own  hand, 
and  it  shows  that  while  others  faltered  he  moved 
on :  — 

"  Brother  Gould  was  opposed  to  it.  Brother  Ship- 
ley only  consented  providing  it  could  be  done  without 
his  assuming  any  personal  responsibility  beyond  what 
was  necessary  to  make  contracts  and  execute  mort- 
gages. Brother  Damrell  joined  me  in  favoring  it  with- 
out reservation." 

This  encouraged  him.  Day  after  day  he  is  moving 
from  point  to  point ;  now  attending  to  the  clearing 
away  of  the  ruins,  now  cheering  on  the  halting,  now 
arranging  his  affairs  with  the  bank  and  consulting  with 
his  lawyer.  On  May  25  we  find  this  entry:  "  This 
day  commenced  laying  foundation  to  the  new  Tremont 
Temple." 

On  the  25th  of  August,  1852,  Deacon  S.  G.  Shipley 
died  ;  and  from  this  time  his  burdens  increased.  Each 
day  you  can  see  the  walls  are  rising.  He  holds  the 
measure  and  marks  the  progress  made.  On  Decem- 
ber 25,  1853,  the  Tremont  Temple  was  consecrated 
to  public  worship.     A    description    of  this  building 


iSS  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

furnishes  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the  achievement  won. 
Let  us  begin  with 

The  Exte7'ior  of  the  Tremont  Temple. 

Immediately  opposite  the  Tremont  House  —  and  so 
near  it  that,  when  the  walls  of  the  old  Temple  fell  into 
the  street,  the  front  of  the  hotel  had  a  narrow  escape  — 
stands  "  The  Stranger's  Sabbath  Home."  Of  a  rich  and 
warm  brown  tint,  produced  by  a  coating  of  mastic,  it 
presents  a  peculiarly  substantial  and  elegant  frontage. 
It  is  seventy-five  feet  in  height,  and  with  the  exception 
of  ten  feet  by  sixty-eight,  which  is  left  open  on  the 
north  side  for  light,  the  building  covers  an  area  of 
thirteen  thousand  feet. 

The  walls  are  massive  and  of  great  strength,  vary- 
ing in  thickness  from  thirty-six  inches  to  sixteen  inches, 
and,  in  accordance  w^ith  the  most  approved  mode  of 
building,  are  hollow.  This,  of  course,  insures  great 
proportional  strength,  dry  inside  walls,  a  saving  in 
furring  and  lathing  by  admitting  of  plastering  upon 
the  bricks,  a  prevention  of  the  ravages  of  vermin,  and 
greater  resonance  and  adaptation  to  music  in  the  walls 
of  the  large  halls.  It  will  be  at  once  evident  that  this 
method,  also,  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  obviates 
all  danger  of  fire  spreading,  as  it  often  does,  and  did 
to  the  destruction  of  the  old  Temple,  between  the  plas- 
tering and  the  wall.  Wherever,  in  the  new  building, 
it  has  been  found  necessary  to  use  furring  and  plaster- 
ing, layers  of  brick  have  been  placed  to  cut  off  all 
chance  of  fire  spreading  between  the  plastering  from 
one  story  to  another.  The  floors,  too,  have,  as  we 
shall,  by  and  by,  more  particularly  notice,  a  thick  coat- 


EXTERIOR    OF   THE    TEMPLE.  1 59 

ing  of  mortar  between  the  upper  and  under  courses 
of  boards,  as  a  protection  against  the  spread  of  fire, 
and  to  prevent  the  transmission  of  sound. 

The  summit  of  the  Temple  is  crowned  by  a  lofty 
cupola,  and  under  it  runs  a  bold  and  handsomely  de- 
signed cornice.  Immediately  below  the  cornice  are 
five  arched  recesses  or  niches,  and  under  these  the 
same  number  of  lofty  windows  that  light  the  front 
apartments,  to  be  hereafter  described.  At  the  street 
level  are  four  fine  stores.  In  the  centre  is  the  princi- 
pal entrance  door,  painted  in  imitation  of  dark  oak. 
The  whole  external  appearance  is  imposing,  and  the 
building  is  worthy  of  the  city  of  which  it  is  at  once 
an  ornament  and  a  convenience. 

The  Entrance. 

Passing  through  the  great  central  door-way,  we  find 
ourselves  in  a  spacious  lobby  or  entrance  hall.  On  the 
first  floor  we  observe,  on  our  right,  and  on  the  first 
landing,  the  ticket  office,  and  a  broad  flight  of  stairs  on 
either  hand,  each  of  which,  at  its  summit,  terminates 
in  a  landing,  from  whence,  to  right  and  left,  diverge 
two  flights  of  similar  staircases,  one  landing  you  in 
the  centre  of  the  main  hall,  and  the  other  to  the  rear 
part  and  the  gallery. 

The  Main  Hall, 

Or  The  Temple,  as  many  style  it  from  long-accus- 
tomed habit,  although,  in  fact,  it  forms  but  one  por- 
tion of  it,  is  a  commodious  and  magnificent  audience- 
room.  The  utter  absence  of  gilding  and  coloring  on 
its  walls  renders  it  far  more  imposing  and  grand  in 


I90  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

appearance  than  if  it  had  been  elaborately  ornamented 
With  auriferous  and  chromatic  splendors.  The  follow- 
ing are  its  dimensions  :  It  is  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  feet  long,  seventy-two  feet  wide,  and  fifty  feet  high. 
Around  the  sides  of  it  runs  a  gallery  supported  on 
trusses,  so  that  no  pillars  intervene  between  the  spec- 
tator and  the  platform  to  obstruct  the  view.  The  front 
of  this  gallery  is  balustraded,  and  by  this  means  a 
very  neat  and  uniform  effect  is  secured.  The  side  gal- 
leries project  over  the  aisles  below  about  seven  feet. 
They  are  fitted  with  rows  of  nicely  cushioned  and 
comfortable  seats,  and  are  not  so  high  as  to  render  the 
ascent  to  them  wearisome  in  the  least  degree.  The 
front  gallery,  though  it  projects  into  the  hall  only  ten 
feet,  extends  back  far  enough  to  give  it  more  than 
three  times  that  depth,  and  when  filled  with  spectators, 
as  it  is  on  the  Sabbath  from  week  to  week,  presents 
a  truly  magnificent  spectacle. 

Directly  opposite  this  gallery  is  the  platform,  with 
its  gracefully  panelled,  semicircular  front.  This  plat- 
form, covered  with  a  neat  oil-cloth,  communicates  with 
the  side  galleries  by  a  few  steps,  for  the  convenience 
of  the  choir.  There  are  also  several  avenues  of  com- 
munication from  the  platform  to  the  apartments,  dress- 
ing-rooms, &c,  behind,  which  are  exceedingly  con- 
venient, and  are  far  superior  to  the  places  of  exit  and 
entrance  from,  and  to,  any  other  place  of  the  kind  that 
we  have  ever  seen. 

From  the  front  of  the  platform  the  floor  of  the  hall 
gradually  rises,  so  as  to  afford  every  person  in  the  hall 
a  full  and  unobstructed  view  of  the  speakers  or  vocal- 
ists, as  the  case  may  be.     The  seats  in  the  galleries 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE    TEMPLE.  191 

rise  in  like  manner.  The  seats  on  the  hall  floor  are 
admirably  arranged  in  a  semicircular  form  from  the 
front  of  the  platform,  so  that  every  face  is  directed  to- 
wards the  speaker  or  singer.  They  are  numbered  uni- 
formly, have  iron  ends,  are  capped  with  mahogany, 
and  are  completely  cushioned  with  a  drab-colored  ma- 
terial. Each  slip  is  capable  of  containing  ten  or  twelve 
persons,  with  an  aisle  at  each  extremity,  and  open 
from  end  to  end. 

The  side  walls  of  the  hall  are  very  beautifully  orna- 
mented in  panels,  arched  and  decorated  with  circular 
ornaments,  which  it  would  be  difficult  properly  to  de- 
scribe without  the  aid  of  accompanying  drawings ; 
but  as  views  of  the  interior  of  the  Temple  have  be- 
come common,  the  omission  here  will  be  of  little  con- 
sequence. As  we  intimated,  there  is  no  fancy  col- 
oring ;  it  is  a  decorated  and  relieved  surface  of  dead 
white,  and  the  effect,  lighted  as  it  is  from  above  by 
large  panes  of  rough  plate  glass,  is  beautifully  chaste. 
The  only  color  observable  in  the  hall  is  the  purple 
screen  behind  the  diamond  open-work  at  the  back  of 
the  platform,  and  which  forms  a  screen  in  front  of  the 
organ.  The  effect  of  this  solitary  "bit"  of  coloring 
is  remarkably  fine. 

The  ceiling  is  very  finely  designed  in  squares,  at  the 
intersections  of  which  are  twenty-eight  gas-burners, 
which,  with  strong  reflectors,  and  a  chandelier  over  the 
orchestra,  shed  a  mellow  but  ample  light  over  the  hall. 
By  this  arrangement,  the  air,  heated  by  innumerable 
jets  of  gas,  is  got  rid  of,  and  the  lights  themselves  act 
as  most  efficient  ventilators.  The  eyes  are  likewise 
protected  from  glare ;    and   should  an  escape  of  gas 


ig2  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

take  place,  from  its  levity  it  passes  up  through  shafts 
to  the  outside,  and  does  not  contaminate  the  atmos- 
phere below.  Under  the  galleries  are  common  burn- 
ers. There  are  for  day  illuminations  twelve  immense 
plates  of  glass,  ten  feet  long  by  four  feet  wide,  placed 
in  the  ceiling  in  the  spring  of  the  arch,  and  open  di- 
rectly to  the  outer  light,  and  sixteen  smaller  ones  un- 
der the  galleries. 

The  whole  of  the  flooring  of  the  hall,  in  the  gal- 
leries, the  body  of  it,  and  of  the  platform,  consists  of 
two  layers  of  boards,  with  the  interstices  between  them 
filled  by  a  thick  bed  of  mortar?  The  advantages  of 
this,  in  an  acoustical  point  of  view,  must  be  obvious 
to  all.  Another  advantage  is,  that  the  applause  made 
by  the  audience  in  this  great  hall  does  not  disturb  the 
people  wrho  may  at  the  same  time  be  holding  a  meet- 
ing in  the  other  hall  below  —  a  very  important  con- 
sideration. Now,  on  the  occasion  of  an  outburst  of 
enthusiasm  above,  only  a  slight  indication  thereof  is 
heard  in  the  lesser  hall. 

There  are  eight  flights  of  stairs  leading  from  the 
floors  of  the  main  hall,  and  four  from  the  galleries, 
the  aggregate  width  of  which  is  over  fifty  feet. 

Of  the  ventilation  of  this  great  hall  we  shall  speak 
under  its  appropriate  head.  We  would,  however,  di- 
rect attention  to  the  ingenious  contrivance  at  the  back 
of  the  front  gallery,  by  means  of  which  the  foul  air  is 
carried  off. 

Office  Entrance  and  Private  Passage  to  the  Halls. 
On  the  south  side  of  the  building  is  an  entrance-way 
about  seven  feet  wide,  under  the  head  of  offices,  where 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    TEMPLE.  1 93 

also  may  be  seen  the  names  of  the  occupants  and  the 
number  of  their  rooms,  which  leads  to  all  the  depart- 
ments of  the  Temple.  When  the  public  halls  are  not 
occupied,  access  can  be  had  to  any  of  the  apartments 
through  the  main  entrance,  if  desired,  but  at  all  times 
through  this  passage  way. 

Boston  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

These  beautiful  rooms  are  up  one  flight  of  stairs,  and 
are  admirably  adapted  for  their  present  uses  and  oc- 
cupants, and  are  rented  by  the  Association  for  sixteen 
hundred  dollars  per  annum,  though  it  is  estimated  that 
they  are  worth,  at  least,  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  ; 
but  the  Temple  is  controlled  by  a  society  who  were 
very  desirous  that  a  religious  association  should  oc- 
cupy them. 

The  committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, in  a  late  report,  say,  "  We  are  now  in  a  build- 
ing well  known,  easily  found,  and  convenient  of  ac- 
cess to  all  the  city.  We  have  halls  for  our  lectures  in 
the  same  building,  and  on  very  favorable  terms.  We 
are  only  one  story  from  the  ground.  We  have  a  large 
reading-room,  a  library-room,  and  three  other  rooms, 
for  prayer  meetings,  committees,  &c.  The  central  sit- 
uation of  these  rooms  will  also  enable  the  committee 
to  carry  out  a  plan  they  have  matured,  for  bringing 
the  clergymen  of  our  city  more  to  the  rooms,  and  mak- 
ing them  better  acquainted  with  each  other.  The  plan 
is,  to  have  the  mail  matter  of  all  our  clergymen  brought 
to  our  rooms  at  all  suitable  times  of  the  day,  and  there 
distributed  into  boxes,  for  each  one  ;  so  that  the  clergy 
can  get  it  at  that  place  as  conveniently  as  at  the  Post 
9 


194  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Office,  while,  at  the  same  time,  they  can  have  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  reading-room,  and  of  seeing  each  other 
daily.  They  can  also  answer  their  letters  there,  the 
proper  conveniences  being  always  ready.  We  shall 
thus  become  a  sort  of  religious  exchange  —  the  head- 
quarters of  all  the  clergy,  not  only  of  our  city,  but  of 
New  England.  The  clergymen  generally  are  glad  to 
come  into  the  arrangement,  and  we  hope  for  good  re- 
sults to  our  society  and  to  Christian  union  from  it."  * 

On  entering  this  suit  of  rooms,  we  first  come  to 
that  one  occupied  as  a  library.  Behind  substantial 
railings  are  shelves  filled  with  books.  Next  to  that 
is  a  large  and  handsomely  furnished  reading-room, 
where,  on  convenient  stands,  are  arranged  various 
newspapers ;  and  on  the  walls  hang  superb  engrav- 
ings, mostly  of  scriptural  subjects.  On  the  table  lie 
magazines  and  journals,  and  in  the  most  comfortable 
of  chairs  their  contents  may  be  studied. 

Beyond  the  reading-room  is  a  committee-room,  and 
a  room  in  which  religious  services  are  held  weekly. 
The  whole  of  the  arrangements,  it  must  be  perceived, 
are  admirable.  This  suit,  then,  consists  of  a  central 
room,  forty-eight  feet  long  by  thirty  feet  wide,  with 
two  side  rooms,  each  about  thirty  feet  by  fifteen,  and 
two  smaller  rooms,  about  fifteen  feet  by  seven,  with 
closets  and  other  conveniences.  These  rooms  extend 
entirely  across  the  front  of  the  building,  and  open 
upon  a  balcony  which  commands  a  very  extensive 
view. 

Altogether  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  con- 
venient and  beautiful  suit  of  rooms  in  our  city,  for  the 
*  This  scheme  has  been  abandoned. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   TEMPLE.  1 95 

purposes  of  the  Association.  Back  of  these,  on  the 
same  story,  are  eight  large  and  fine  rooms,  averaging 
about  twenty-six  feet  by  sixteen,  well  lighted,  and  fur- 
nished with  closets  and  other  conveniences.  Over  the 
rooms  of  the  Christian  Association,  front,  there  are 
five  rooms  of  good  size,  about  twenty-five  by  fifteen 
feet,  suitable  for  artists  ;  and  at  the  sides,  over  the  stair- 
ways, there  are  six  other  similar  rooms. 

The  organ  was  built  by  Messrs.  Hook,  whose  repu- 
tation forms  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  the  excellence 
of  the  instrument. 

Let  us  leave  now  the  splendid  great  hall,  and  pay  a 
visit  to 

The  Meionaon, 

The  main  entrance  to  which  is  through  the  north- 
erly passage  way,  opposite  the  doors  of  the  Tremont 
House ;  this  avenue  is  about  seven  feet  wide.  The 
southerly  passage  way,  elsewhere  described,  serves  as 
an  outlet  from  this  Lesser  Temple. 

Perhaps  the  reader,  who  may  not  have  been  initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  Greek  literature,  may  thank  us 
for  a  definition  of  this  strange-looking  word,  Meionaon. 
It  is  so  called  from  two  Greek  words  ;  melon,  signify- 
ing less,  smaller,  and  naon,  temple  —  lesser  temple. 
It  should  be  pronounced  mi-o-na-on.  This  lesser  tem- 
ple is  situated  back  from  the  street,  and  directly  under 
the  great  hall.  It  is  seventy-two  feet  long  by  fifty-two 
feet  wide,  and  about  twenty-five  and  a  half  feet  high : 
not  so  elaborately  adorned  as  its  neighbor  overhead, 
this  hall  is  rented  by  the  church,  and  is  used  for  the 
Sabbath  school  and  weekly  meetings. 


I96  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

The  Vestry. 

In  front  of  this  hall,  and  on  the  same  level,  is  a 
large  and  very  commodious  vestry,  having  two  en- 
trances, opposite  which  is  the  Social  Hall,  or  large 
parlor,  used  by  the  church  for  social  purposes,  and 
where  the  leading  laymen  of  the  denomination  meet 
monthly  with  invited  guests,  to  greet  each  other  as 
brethren  in  the  Lord,  and  consult  together  regarding 
the  general  interests  of  the  denomination. 

Fire- Room. 

Outside  the  main  wall  of  the  building,  and  below 
the  level  of  the  street,  is  what  is  called  the  fire-room. 
This  may  be  termed  the  centre  of  that  great  circulat- 
ing system  by  means  of  which  the  building  is  heated. 
Here  is  a  large  cylindrical  boiler,  from  which  pipes 
proceed  and  ramify  in  all  directions  over  the  vast 
building ;  the  water,  after  it  has  performed  its  "  mis- 
sion," being  brought  back  again  to  be  re-heated  and 
re-sent  upon  its  round.  A  steam  pump  is  here  erected 
to  supply  the  boiler,  &c. 

Ventilation. 

Perhaps  the  most  noticeable  feature  in  the  Tremont 
Temple  is  the  thorough  and  perfect  manner  in  which 
it  is  warmed  and  ventilated,  the  trustees  being  deeply 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  providing  a  hall  for 
the  use  of  the  public,  that  should,  in  all  respects,  be 
comfortable  and  agreeable,  determined  to  spare  no 
pains  or  expense  in  having  the  ventilation  of  the  rooms 
thorough,  and  the  temperature  such  as  the  most  deli- 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE    TEMPLE.  1 97 

cate  invalid  or  robust  citizen  could  not  find  fault  with. 
In  order  to  render  the  building  secure  against  fire,  it 
seemed  desirable  to  warm  the  entire  establishment, 
containing  no  less  than  thirty  rooms,  besides  the  great 
hall,  with  a  single  fire.  To  do  this,  that  mighty  agent, 
steam,  was  called  upon  ;  and  well  and  handsomely  does 
it  respond.  A  large  boiler,  in  a  remote  corner  of  the 
premises,  not  under  the  main  building,  and  which  we 
have  before  referred  to,  generates  steam,  which  is  car- 
ried through  the  conducting  pipes  into  brick  chambers 
of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  all  filled  with  iron  pipes. 
Into  these  chambers,  or  reservoirs  of  heat,  cold  air  is 
introduced  through  large  conductors,  whose  external 
terminations  are  near  the  top  of  the  building,  remote 
from  the  dust  and  noxious  vapors  of  the  street.  After 
having  received  its  proper  degree  of  warmth,  and  been 
rectified  in  its  hygrometric  qualities,  this  air  is  admit- 
ted, through  large  trellised  openings,  to  the  halls  and 
other  apartments. 

Into  some  of  the  rooms  the  steam  pipes  are  intro- 
duced directly,  and  after  coiling  themselves  around  the 
room  a  few  times,  go  on  their  way  into  other  rooms. 
Thus  each  room  is  warmed  independently  of  the  oth- 
ers. Indeed,  the  supply  of  heat  to  all  the  rooms  and 
various  parts  of  the  building,  is  placed  under  the  most 
perfect  control  by  means  of  valvesy  so  that  in  each 
room  the  temperature  may  be  graduated  with  mathe- 
matical accuracy,  without  at  all  interfering  with  the 
temperature  of  any  other  room. 

In  order  to  make  the  ventilation  copious  and  relia- 
ble, there  are  large  air  shafts  over  flues  at  the  corners 
of  the  hall,  terminating  at  the  roof,  through  which,  by 


I9S  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

means  of  steam  heat,  a  constant  upward  current  is 
obtained  ;  and  into  these  shafts,  or  flues,  all  the  heated 
and  impure  air  of  the  room  is  constantly  discharged, 
so  that,  though  the  great  hall  may  be  packed  with 
human  beings,  yet  the  constant  introduction  of  fresh, 
warm,  pure  air,  floating  over  the  audience  like  a  gen- 
tle zephyr  of  the  tropics,  and  the  as  constant  ejection 
of  impure  air,  cause  the  atmosphere  of  the  rooms  to 
have  a  delightful  freshness  and  elasticity. 

As  there  is  no  red-hot  iron  to  burn  the  air  before 
it  enters  the  room,  as  is  generally  the  case  with  hot- 
air  furnaces,  and  as  the  steam  pipes  afford  an  admi- 
rable facility  for  purifying  the  air,  as  well  as  heating 
it,  the  temperature  of  the  room  is  not  unlike  that  of  a 
green-house,  filled  with  fragrant  plants.  And  what 
are  human  beings,  with  lungs  of  the  most  delicate 
organization,  but  plants  of  a  heavenly  growth?  too 
often,  alas,  "  nipped  in  the  bud"  by  being  obliged  to 
breathe  an  atmosphere  deprived  of  its  vitality  by 
fire,  or  poisoned  by  impurity !  Is  it  not  strange  that 
so  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  this  system  of 
combining  heat  and  ventilation  for  our  public  build- 
ings ? 

Too  much  praise  cannot  be  awarded  to  the  parties 
by  whom  this  work  in  the  Tremont  Temple  was 
planned  and  executed  —  Messrs.  James  J.  Walworth 
&  Co.  It  is  one  more  proof  of  the  success  which 
seems  to  have  invariably  attended  their  efforts  in  this 
novel  and  interesting  method  of  heating,  and  they  have 
certainly  succeeded  in  rendering  the  Tremont  Temple 
the  most  comfortable,  as  it  is  the  most  unique  and 
beautiful,  room  of  the  kind,  in  our  city. 


DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    TEMPLE.  1 99 

Ante-rooms,  &c. 

Both  the  large  and  small  halls  have  attached  to  them 
ante-rooms,  where,  on  the  occasion  of  concerts,  or 
other  exhibitions,  the  vocalists  or  performers  may 
dress  or  repose.  These  are  fitted  up  with  every  requi- 
site that  can  be  imagined.  Those  for  ladies  are  situ- 
ated on  one  side  of  the  platform,  and  for  gentlemen 
on  the  other,  and  all  needful  privacy  is  secured.  There 
are  many  other  apartments  in  the  building,  well  situ- 
ated for  artists  and  dentists. 

T7ie  Cupola. 

In  making  our  way  thither,  we  travel  o\er  the  ceil- 
ing of  the  great  hall,  dropping  our  heads  as  we  pass 
beneath  roof  and  rafter,  to  save  our  hat  and  skull, 
and  beholding  beneath  our  feet  a  great  net-work  of 
gas-piping  connected  with  the  burners  of  the  hall  un- 
der us.  In  long  rows  are  square  ventilators,  which 
discharge  their  streams  of  vitiated  air  on  the  outside. 

The  cupola  forms  a  spacious  observatory,  glazed  all 
round,  and  from  every  window  is  obtained  a  charm- 
ing view,  the  whole  forming  one  of  the  most  superb 
panoramas  that  we  ever  witnessed.  From  this  ele- 
vated spot  may  be  seen  the  adjacent  villages  and 
towns,  the  harbor  and  its  islands,  the  city  institutions, 
churches,  houses,  and  shipping.  In  short,  the  whole 
city  and  its  vicinity  lie  at  our  feet. 

Ge7teral  Survey. 

We  have  thus  gone  through  this  vast  building,  but  it 
would  be  impossible  to  give  the  entire  details  of  every 


200  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

part  in  a  sketch  of  this  kind ;  nor  is  it  necessary.  It 
would  be  an  unpardonable  omission,  however,  did  we 
omit  to  state  that  the  skilful  architect,  under  whose 
direction  it  has  arisen,  is  Mr.  William  Washburn  — 
a  gentleman  well  known  for  great  ability  in  his  diffi- 
cult profession. 

Everything  used  in  the  construction  of  the  Temple 
appears  to  be  of  the  best  kind.  The  chief  carpenter 
work  and  finishing  was  done  by  George  Nowell  &  Co. ; 
the  painting  by  Mr.  Thaddeus  Stone  ;  and  the  plaster, 
stucco,  and  mastic  work  outside,  by  Mr.  Joseph  Kings- 
ley  ;  mason  work  by  Carlton  Parker. 

Statistics  of  Tremont  Temple* 

The  following  particulars,  respecting  the  origin  and 
financial  arrangements  of  this  great  building,  are  au- 
thentic, and  cannot  fail  to  be  of  interest. 

The  original  object  of  those  who  have  been  most 
interested  in  the  Tremont  Temple  enterprise  has  been, 
and  still  is,  to  keep  open  a  place  of  public  worship  on 
the  Sabbath,  with  free  seats,  for  the  young  persons 
who  are  constantly  coming  to  the  city  for  employment, 
a  large  portion  of  whom  are  unable  to  procure  seats 
in  other  churches,  and  therefore  spend  their  Sabbaths 
by  walking  about  the  city  and  its  vicinity,  and  in  that 
way  coming  in  contact  with  the  idle  and  the  vicious, 
are  drawn  into  the  paths  of  vice,  and,  by  degrees,  to 
crime,  degradation,  and  ruin.  It  is  mainly  to  save  this 
class  that  this  place  is  opened,  and  also  for  the  stran- 
gers who  visit  it  for  temporary  purposes. 

But  the  enterprise  has  become  of  much  greater 
importance,    prospectively,    by    the    building    of  the 


DESIGN    OF   THE    ENTERPRISE.  201 

new  Temple,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  following  state- 
ment :  — 

The  estimated  income  from  the  present  stores  and 
offices,  together  with  the  income  of  the  large  halls, 
will  not  be  likely  to  fall  short  of  ten  or  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars  per  annum,  over  the  current  expenses. 
This,  when  all  the  debts  are  paid,  is  all  to  be  given 
away  for  charitable  objects,  not  less  than  one  half  of 
which  must  be  expended  in  the  city,  for  the  wants  of 
the  poor,  and  the  other  half  may  be  expended  in  the 
same  way,  or  for  other  objects  specified  in  the  deed  of 
trust  by  which  it  is  held.  It  is  estimated  that  the  in- 
come will  pay  all  current  expenses,  and  the  interest 
on  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  to  which  it  is  the 
purpose  of  the  trustees  to  reduce  the  debt,  and  leave 
a  sinking  fund  of  not  less  than  four  thousand  dollars 
per  annum,  which  will  pay  the  whole  debt  in  less  than 
twenty  years ;  and  this  estimate  is  made,  leaving  the 
gratuitous  use  of  the  parts  occupied  for  religious  wor- 
ship out  from  the  calculation,  thus,  from  this  time, 
providing  a  large,  central,  and  inviting  place  of  wor- 
ship, with  seats  free,  all  lighted,  warmed,  and  kept 
in  repair,  and,  prospectively  (probably  within  twenty 
years) ,  providing  more  than  the  interest  of  a  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollar  fund  to  feed  the  hungry,  to  clothe 
the  naked,  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  destitute,  for 
annual  distribution,  and  all  this  without  any  person 
giving  for  such  a  fund. 

It  is,  however,  provided  in  the  trust  deed,  that  any 
donations  that  may  be  made  shall  be  appropriated  for 
the  extinguishment  of  the  debts,  unless  otherwise  or- 
dered by  the  donors. 
9  * 


202  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

Cost  of  Building  and  Furniture. 

The  cost  of  the  building,  including  heating  apparatus 
by  steam,  was  not  far  from  one  hundred  and  sixty  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  the  furniture,  including  organs,  not 
far  from  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

Management  of  the  Property. 

The  property  is  under  the  entire  and  absolute  con- 
trol of  trustees,  elected  annually  by  representatives 
of  Baptist  churches,  who  are  controlled  by  the  pro- 
visions of  the  trust  deed. 

The  Union  Temple  Church  are  bound  by  the  pro- 
visions of  the  deed  forever  to  maintain  public  worship 
on  the  Sabbath,  with  free  seats,  without  using  any  part 
of  this  income  for  that  purpose  ;  and  if  they  do  not  so 
maintain  public  worship,  a  minority  of  said  church  are 
authorized  to  organize  for  that  purpose,  and  enjoy  the 
benefit  of  this  trust  in  the  same  manner. 

"  We  should  be  sorry  to  close  this  brief  notice  of 
the  Tremont  Temple  without  specially  alluding  to  the 
church,  which,  in  fact,  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  en- 
tire fabric." 

"Ina  city  like  Boston,  the  importance  of  such  an  in- 
stitution cannot  well  be  overrated.  It  not  unfrequently 
happens  that  a  stranger  in  the  city,  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
finds  it  no  very  easy  matter  to  obtain  a  sitting  in  one 
of  our  crowded  places  of  worship  ;  and  we  ourselves, 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  have  had  to  stand,  either 
lingering  in  the  aisle  until  our  legs  ached,  before  the 
pew-opener  deigned  to  notice  us,  or  to  remain  on  our 
feet  during  an  entire  service.     We  have  heard  that  a 


THE   FRJEE    CHUHCH.  203 

visitor  to  a  certain  church  not  a  hundred  miles  from 
the  city  of  Boston,  once,  on  finding  that  no  one  heeded 
him  as  he  stood  in  the  aisle,  left  the  building  and  re- 
turned with  a  chair,  on  which  he  calmly  rested  him- 
self—  a  quiet  commentary  on  the  want  of  common 
civility  on  the  part  of  the  officials.  Now,  all  such  in- 
conveniences as  these  may  very  easily  be  avoided  by 
going  to  the  church  in  Tremont  Temple,  where  every 
seat  is  free  to  whoever  may  choose  to  take  it." 

"  A  free  church  !  There  is  something  noble  and  beau- 
tiful in  the  very  sound  !  Free  as  air  —  free  as  ocean 
waves — free  as  the  everlasting  gospel  which  is  preached 
within  its  walls  !  Free  to  all !  As  none  were  exempted 
in  the  great  invitation  of  the  Saviour,  so  to  this  free 
church  all  are  invited  and  are  welcome.  No  grim  sex- 
ton stands  in  the  aisle,  to  survey  you  from  head  to  foot 
as  you  stand  waiting  his  pleasure,  and  unless  you  be 
genteel,  will  not  let  you  come  "  between  the  wind  and 
his  nobility,"  or  usher  you  into  a  pew.  No  purse-proud 
occupant  of  a  seat  that  he  only  enjoys,  though  there  be 
room  and  to  spare  for  half  a  dozen  more,  looks  com- 
placently at  you  as  he  lolls  on  his  cushions  ;  but  instead 
of  this,  you  walk  quietly  to  any  unoccupied  place,  and 
take  it  as  your  right.  This  is  as  it  should  be  ;  and 
well  may  the  strangers  in  Boston  bless  the  benevolence 
of  those  who  fitted  up  this  beautiful  place  for  their  ac- 
commodation." * 

Mr.  G.'s  diary  and  private  correspondence  give  us 

*  The  above  description  is  in  part  taken  from  an  article  by 
George  W.  Bungay,  first  published  in  the  "  Waverley  Magazine 
and  Literary  Messenger." 


204  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

an  insight  to  the  burdens  imposed  upon  him,  and  the 
loss  he  sustained  in  the  death  of  Deacon  Shipley. 

Impressed  by  the  favoring  providences  which  helped 
him  in  carrying  forward  his  work,  tried  by  the  course 
pursued  by  the  architect,  disappointed  if  not  dejected 
by  the  manner  in  which  the  bills  exceeded  the  bids,  he 
finds  relief  and  comfort  alone  at  the  throne  of  grace. 

In  1853  the  Temple  was  finished  and  dedicated,  and 
the  following  paper  was  written  in  July  of  the  same 
year,  and  left  as  an  evidence  of  his  desires  and  wishes 
regarding  the  use  to  be  made  of  it :  — 

"  I,  Timothy  Gilbert,  having  been  the  principal  in- 
strument that  the  Lord  has  used  in  purchasing,  refit- 
ting, and  again  in  rebuilding,  the  Tremont  Temple, 
do  hereby  leave  upon  record  my  desires  and  wishes 
concerning  the  same,  and  what  I  believe  to  be  the  will 
of  God,  who  has  so  signally  blessed  and  favored  the 
enterprise  from  its  commencement.  And  I  hereby 
wish  it  to  be  remembered  that  this  is  not  the  work  of 
Timothy  Gilbert,  he  being  only  the  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  God,  used  to  carry  forward  His  own  benevo- 
lent designs,  and  that  the  Tremont  Street  Church  have 
no  cause  to  exult,  but  rather  to  inquire,  '  Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  us  to  do  ? '  for  never  was  there  a  church 
placed  under  greater  responsibilities  than  devolve  upon 
this  people,  who  are  called  upon,  by  their  position 
and  the  circumstances  which  environ  them,  to  see 
to  it  that  the  whole  enterprise  shall  be  carried  on  for 
the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  truth  and  morality, 
and  not  for  the  pecuniary  benefit  or  honor  of  any 
individual  or  individuals ;  and  I  hereby  leave  this  as 
my  solemn  conviction,  that  whenever  the  time  shall 


MR.    GILBERT'S    DESIRE.  205 

come  when  no  one  will  carry  on  this  enterprise  for 
the  love  they  bear  to  the  cause  of  Christ  and  without 
pecuniary  reward,  then  the  glory  of  Tremont  Tem- 
ple will  have  departed.  Then  let  the  church  clothe 
themselves  with  sackcloth,  and  fast  and  pray  until  the 
Lord  will  raise  up  and  qualify  one  or  more  to  do  this 
work,  and  to  say,  '  Lord,  here  am  I ;  take  me,  and  use 
me  for  that  service ; '  otherwise  darkness  will  overshadow 
the  enterprise  from  that  time  forward.  Let  the  church, 
having  the  benefit  of  this  trust,  guard  against  even  in- 
dulging for  a  moment  the  desire  or  wish  to  use  any 
part  of  the  income  for  the  ordinary  support  of  a  pas- 
tor, lest  that  wish  or  desire  should  be  seen,  by  Him  who 
looks  on  the  heart,  to  grow  out  of  the  selfish  desire  to 
shirk  the  burdens  of  the  Lord's  house,  and  thus  make 
them  guilty  of  wishing  to  offer  to  the  Lord  '  that  which 
costs  them  nothing.'  Let  the  church  adhere  to  the 
conditions  of  the  charter  or  deed  ;  and  whenever  a 
doubt  arises  as  to  its  meaning  and  intent,  let  them 
construe  it  in  favor  of  the  poor  who  are  to  be  benefit- 
ed by  the  income,  and  not  to  relieve  themselves  from 
the  slightest  responsibility. 

"  Let  them  also  conscientiously  consider  this  in  all  the 
uses  they  may  make  of  the  income,  in  all  alterations  and 
repairs,  in  letting  or  refusing  to  let,  and  act  conform- 
ably to  the  principle  that  they  are  stewards  of  the 
Lord's  family,  and  must  give  an  account  to  Him  who 
put  them  into  the  stewardship.  Let  every  one  who 
shall  undertake  to  steady  the  ark  or  conduct  the  enter- 
prise, by  their  own  skill,  or  strength,  or  wisdom,  with- 
out consulting  the  Lord,  be  as  Uzzah,  if  it  should  be 
myself.     Let  every  one  who  shall  dare  to  put  their 


206  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

hands  to  it,  remember  that  it  is  a  holy  enterprise,  be- 
gun and  carried  on  by  a  holy  God  ;  that  its  past  suc- 
cess is  all  of  Him,  and  if  ultimately  successful,  all  the 
glory  will  legitimately  belong  to  Him,  and  to  no  earthly 
instrument  whatever.  And  I  hereby  leave  it  to  be 
remembered  and  acted  upon  by  all  who  may  speak  of 
me,  or  mention  my  name  in  connection  with  it,  when 
I  am  dead,  that  the  honor  of  my  Lord  and  Saviour 
will  be  tarnished,  and  his  frown  called  down  upon 
every  attempt  to  give  the  glory  to  me  or  to  any  other 
human  being.  After  my  decease,  let  what  I  have  writ- 
ten on  this,  the  ioth  day  of  July,  1853,  be  faithfully 
considered,  and  may  the  Lord  add  his  blessing." 


207 


CHAPTER   XL 

THE   TREMONT   TEMPLE   ENTERPRISE   IMPERILLED. 

THE  PROPERTY  OFFERED  FOR  SALE. THE  ORGAN- 
IZATION OF  THE  EVANGELICAL  BAPTIST  BENEVO- 
LENT AND  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. THE  SKY  CLEAR- 
ING. —  MR.  GILBERT'S  HOPES  BRIGHTENING.  —  LET- 
TER  OF  REV.  D.  C.  EDDY,  D.  D. 

The  years  1854  and  1855  are  thick  with  shadows. 
In  the  political  world  there  were  Kansas  excitements, 
the  trial  of  Burns,  his  rendition  to  slavery  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  vast  concourse  of  people,  the  state  militia 
looking  on,  and  the  deacon  "  agonizing  over  the  tri- 
umphs of  slavery." 

In  the  church  all  was  dark.  The  Temple,  capable  of 
accommodating  a  vast  congregation,  was  never  full ;  the 
prayer  meetings  were  thinly  attended ;  the  brethren, 
feeling  to  repine  at  the  loss  sustained  by  the  resignation 
of  Dr.  Colver,  and  not  rallying  as  one  man  about  the 
new  pastor,  failed  to  sympathize  with  him  in  his  views, 
aims,  or  plans ;  while,  financially,  the  sky  was  grow- 
ing dark  rather  than  bright,  and  the  burdens  Mr.  Gil- 
bert bore  threatened  to  ingulf  him  in  ruin. 

The  year  1855  furnished  the  turning  point  in  the 
history  of  the  Temple.  The  crmrch  were  discouraged. 
They  who  had  given  their  prayers  and  pecuniary  aid, 
to  a  limited  extent,  tired  of  the  burden,  and  desiring 


20S  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

to  avail  themselves  of  the  money  that  would  accrue  to 
them  from  the  sale  of  the  property,  opposed  Mr.  Gil- 
bert's plans  and  thwarted  his  purposes.  On  Wednes- 
day, May  30,  1855,  Rev.  T.  C.Jameson  tendered  his 
resignation,  and  Deacon  Gilbert  made  the  attempt  to 
dissolve  his  connection  with  a  church  in  which,  for 
many  years,  he  had  borne  a  very  prominent  part. 

The  Sabbaths  that  followed  must  have  been  Sabbaths 
of  peculiar  experiences.  He  goes  to  Merrimack  Street, 
to  Rowe  Street,  to  Somerset  Street,  to  Brookline,  and, 
at  last,  September  2,  1855,  becomes  a  member  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church,  where  he  remained  until  1859, 
when,  difficulties  having  been  removed,  he  saw  his 
way  clear  to  resume  his  work  in  the  field  of  his  early 
love  and  choice. 

His  removal  from  the  Tremont  Street  Church  sev- 
ered one  of  the  strong  ties  that  bound  him  to  the  en- 
terprise. His  pecuniary  liabilities  made  it  imperative 
that  something  be  done  for  his  relief.  The  Temple 
was  offered  for  sale  first  to  his  own  denomination,  it 
being  understood,  in  case  of  their  failure  to  purchase 
it,  that  the  Congregationalists  stood  ready  to  take  the 
property. 

At  this  stage  of  affairs  one  of  the  trustees  refused  to 
convey  the  property  to  the  denomination,  because  of 
his  desire  to  secure  a  fund  for  the  church  out  of  the 
estate.  Concerning  this  Mr.  Gilbert  writes,  that  "  how- 
ever desirable  this  may  be  for  the  church,  he  is  un- 
willing that  it  shall  interfere  with  the  original  design, 
which  has  been  to  secure  the  property  for  the  cause  of 
evangelical  religion  and  morality,  and  for  the  benefit 
of  the  poor  in  the  city  of  Boston." 


THE    TEMPLE   FOR    SALE.  2CX) 

At  this  time  the  crisis  was  reached.  The  church 
opposed  the  sale  of  the  Temple,  because  of  their  vested 
rights.  The  deacon,  having  concluded  to  sell  the  prop- 
erty, hoped  to  find  a  purchaser  in  the  Baptist  denom- 
ination. In  case  of  failure  in  that  quarter,  he  had 
entered  into  negotiations  with  the  Orthodox  Congre- 
gationalists.  The  church  became  alarmed,  and  sent 
for  Dr.  Colver.  The  excitement  seemed  to  rouse  the 
denomination.  A  glance  at  the  figures  shows  that  the 
church  had  received  more  than  an  adequate  return  for 
the  amount  invested,  and  that  it  was  better  for  them  to 
suffer  than  to  have  the  property  pass  beyond  the  con- 
trol of  evangelical  Christians. 

"Man's  extremity  is  God's  opportunity."  It  was 
well  that  the  property  should  be  taken  out  of  the  hands 
of  the  church,  and  placed  in  the  care  of  a  board  of 
trustees  chosen  by  ballot  and  representing  the  different 
churches  in  Boston  and  vicinity. 

The  Tremont  Temple  was  conceived  as  a  missionary 
enterprise,  designed  to  furnish  the  gospel  to  the  spirit- 
ually destitute  in  the  city,  and  to  create  a  fund  to  aid 
in  giving  the  gospel  to  the  spiritually  destitute  else- 
where. 

Fears  were  justly  entertained  that  this  interest  would 
be  swallowed  up  by  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  The 
future  of  Boston  seemed  to  be  involved  in  the  action 
of  the  denomination.  The  church  were  unequal  to 
the  task.  They  were  poor.  It  is  probably  true  that 
no  matter  how  loud  individuals  may  be  in  their  pro- 
fessions of  regard  for  the  work  to  be  done  in  such  a 
place,  yet  very  few  of  what  are  called  leading  men 
and  their  families  will  join  the  church.    Now  and  then 


2IO  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

a  powerful  impression  of  duty  or  strong  personal  con- 
siderations will  bring  such  help,  but  not  often. 

"  The  heterogeneous  character  of  the  congregation  ; 
the  uncertainty  as  to  where  one  will  sit,  or  whether  he 
will  sit  with  his  family,  or  whether,  indeed,  he  will 
not  have  to  stand  up  ;  the  lack  of  the  numberless  asso- 
ciations which  make  the  sanctuary  a  religious  home  — 
dearest  and  sweetest  home  sometimes  in  all  the  world  ; 
the  scarcity  of  families  ;  and  the  lack  of  society  and 
friendly  communion,  —  all  these,  whether  properly  or 
not,  tend  to  keep  back  the  rich." 

This  is  the  charge.  The  conduct  of  Christian  men 
should  disprove  it  if  it  be  not  already  disproved.  If 
ordinary  family  churches  need  judicious,  sagacious,  be- 
nevolent, devoted,  and  directing  spirits,  who,  by  com- 
mon consent,  are  denominated  "  leading  men,"  whom 
the  people  love  to  follow,  how  much  more  does  this 
church  need  them  !  No  one  can  look  at  the  stran- 
gers gathered  from  all  lands  at  each  service,  without 
seeing  the  necessity  of  representative  men  forming  a 
stated  part  of  the  congregations.  No  one  can  look 
upon  the  hundreds  of  young  men  and  women  who 
come  as  strangers,  and  need  the  hand  of  welcome  to 
be  extended  to  them  by  the  church  of  God  on  the 
threshold  of  their  new  life,  without  being  impressed 
by  the  want  of  men  of  character  and  influence  to  greet 
and  guide  them.  Such  a  threshold  the  "  Stranger's 
Sabbath  Home  "  ought  to  become.  Nowhere  else  does 
influence  tell  to  such  advantage.  It  is  impossible  to 
make  the  poor  herd  together.  In  God's  house  the  rich 
and  poor  should  meet  together.  Young  men  wish 
to  meet  their  employers  outside  of  their  places  of  busi- 


DUTY   OF   THE    RICH    TO   THE    POOR.  211 

ness.  If  merchants  care  for  the  commercial  future  of 
the  city  in  which  they  live,  they  cannot  afford  to  over- 
look Tremont  Temple,  or  keep  aloof  from  it,  for,  by  so 
doing,  they  separate  themselves  from  the  young  men 
who  look  up  to  them  for  example  and  guidance.  If 
Christian  men  care  for  the  future  character  of  their 
denomination,  they  cannot  afford  to  neglect  such  instru- 
mentalities of  usefulness.  They  owe  it  to  God,  to  the 
country,  to  the  young  men  that  are  being  influenced  by 
them,  and  to  him  who  ministers  to  the  people  in  holy 
things,  to  give  their  countenance  to,  and  grace  with  their 
presence,  such  places  of  popular  resort.  Every  pub- 
lic speaker  understands  the  influence  exerted  by  a  man 
of  mark  and  character  forming  a  part  of  the  congrega- 
tion. It  is  said  that  the  entrance  of  Daniel  Webster  into 
a  theatre  changed  the  character  of  the  play.  The  actors 
forgot  the  pit  and  thought  of  the  statesman  instead. 

Perhaps  it  ought  not  to  be  so,  but  it  is  so.  The 
influence  of  the  pew  is  felt  in  the  pulpit  as  much  as 
the  influence  of  the  pulpit  is  felt  in  the  pew.  Notwith- 
standing this,  from  the  causes  indicated,  the  number  of 
influential  and  leading  men  will  never  be  large  in  such 
a  place,  and  those  that  come  will  have  enough  to  do 
without  being  forced  to  guide  a  miscellaneous  church 
made  up  of  youths,  of  the  poor  and  of  the  middling 
classes,  who  are  grand  as  helpers  in  winning  souls, 
but  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  management  of  large 
parochial  trusts.  Better,  by  far,  is  it  to  have  the  prop- 
erty held  by  trustees  connected  with  other  churches, 
who  will  sympathize  with  the  work,  take  an  interest 
in  the  congregation,  as  well  as  in  the  property,  and 


212  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

who  will  act  for  the  good  of  the  denomination  and  the 
glory  of  God,  and  leave  the  church  to  reap  for  Christ. 
This  all  looks  plain  now,  but  it  seemed  uncertain  ground 
in  1855.  Experience  has  proven  that  such  a  church 
ought  to  have  just  as  little  as  possible  to  do  with  legis- 
lating, with  planning,  with  management.  The  best 
government  is  that  which  governs  least.  Surely,  no 
one  can  gaze  upon  the  assembled  thousands  in  the  con- 
gregations on  the  Sabbath,  or  upon  the  hundreds  gath- 
ered in  the  Sabbath  schools  and  Bible  classes,  without 
feeling  that  a  work  is  before  the  church  worthy  of  an 
angel's  powers. 

Entertaining  these  views,  we  tread  with  delight  the 
path  which  seemed  so  full  of  thorns,  because  from 
every  stem  there  has  come  forth  a  full-blown  rose. 

A  meeting  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  in  this  city  and  vicinity  was  called, 
and  a  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  Meionaon,  March 

i?  1855- 

This  meeting  deemed  it  desirable  to  secure  the  estate 
to  the  denomination,  and  appointed  a  committee  for 
this  purpose.  Other  meetings  were  held,  but,  for 
various  reasons,  without  being  able  to  accomplish  the 
end  desired.  As  there  appeared  to  be  no  immediate 
prospect  of  relief,  the  property  was  afterwards  adver- 
tised to  be  sold  by  public  auction,  on  the  20th  of  June 
following  ;  but  the  sale  was  postponed  to  carry  out  an 
arrangement,  which  was  being  made,  to  place  the  prop- 
erty, temporaily,  in  the  hands  of  thirty-seven  individ- 
uals, until  subscriptions  could  be  obtained  for  its  pur- 
chase, with  a  view  of  conveying  it  to  a  society,  to  be 


BAPTIST    MISSIONARY   SOCIETY.  213 

called  the  Evangelical  Baptist  Benevolent  and  Mis- 
sionary Society. 

In  accordance  with  this  arrangement,  it  was  conveyed 
by  deed,  dated  June  28,  1855,  to  Thomas  Richardson, 
Frederick  Gould,  J.  W.  Converse,  G.  W.  Chipman,  and 
J.  W.  Merrill,  as  trustees,  and  the  sum  of  thirty-six 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eleven  dollars  and  three 
cents  over  and  above  its  outstanding  liabilities  was  paid 
therefor. 

An  act  of  incorporation  was  secured  in  1857  for  an 
association  known  as  the  Evangelical  Baptist  Benevo- 
lent and  Missionary  Society,  to  be  located  in  the  city  of 
Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  constant  main- 
tenance in  said  Boston  of  evangelical  preaching  for  the 
young  and  the  destitute,  with  free  seats ;  for  the  em- 
ployment of  colporteur  and  missionary  laborers  in  Bos- 
ton and  elsewhere  ;  for  the  purpose  of  providing  suit- 
able central  apartments  to  other  and  kindred  benevolent 
and  missionary  societies  ;  and  for  the  general  purpose 
of  ministering  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  needy  and 
destitute,  with  the  right  of  holding  real  and  personal 
estate  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  property,  and  the  net  income 
thereof  after  the  same  has  been  paid  for,  shall  be  ap- 
propriated exclusively  for  the  purposes  in  this  act 
specified,  and  the  same  shall  be  exempted  from  taxa- 
tion. 

The  society  was  organized  May  11,  1858,  and  on 
the  14th  of  June  the  constitution  was  adopted,  and 
at  a  subsequent  meeting  the  following  officers  were 
elected :  — 


214  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

President. 
James  M.  Converse. 

Secretary. 
Joseph  Story. 

Treasurer. 
J.Warren  Merrill. 

Directors. 

Thomas  Richardson,  Boston. 

George  W.  Chipman, 

Timothy  Gilbert, 

Charles  D.  Gould, 

Asa  Wilbur, 

George  S.  Dexter, 

Charles  S.  Kendall, 

Jesse  Tirrell, 

J.  W.  Converse,  yamaica  Plain. 

George  W.  Little,  Ckarlestown. 

Frederick  Gould,  Cambridge. 

William  H.  Jameson,  Brookline. 

William  A.  Bowdlear,  Roxbury. 

Auditors. 

Joshua  Loring,  Chelsea. 
Joshua  Lincoln,  Roxbury. 

A  lease  was  executed  December  6,  1858,  "granting 
the  Tremont  Street  Baptist  Church  and  Society  the 
use  of  the  great  hall,  with  the  organ  and  furniture 
therein,  during  the  daytime  on  Sundays,  as  a  place  of 


CONDITIONS   OF   THE   LEASE.  215 

public  worship ;  and  also  basement  rooms  for  vestry 
and  Sabbath  school ;  the  church  agreeing  to  main- 
tain public  worship  on  the  Sabbath,  with  free  seats, 
and  to  support  a  good  and  efficient  pastor,  who  shall 
be  considered  creditable  to  the  denomination,  and  such 
as  shall  be  so  considered  by  the  Baptist  churches  in  the 
city  of  Boston  and  the  adjoining  cities  and  towns  of 
Dorchester,  Roxbury,  Brookline,  Cambridge,  Charles- 
town,  and  Chelsea ;  and  that  the  church  shall  hold 
and  maintain  the  doctrines  of  the  evangelical  Baptist 
churches  in  said  cities  and  towns.  Either  of  the  Bap- 
tist churches  in  said  cities  and  towns  may  at  any  time 
call  a  council,  to  be  composed  of  two  members  from 
such  churches  —  not  less  than  a  majority  of  the  whole 
number —  as  may  choose  to  send  delegates,  to  inquire 
whether  the  church  has  broken  any  of  these  covenants  ; 
and  if  the  council  so  chosen  shall  decide  that  the  church 
has  failed  to  comply  with  any  of  the  covenants,  then 
this  lease  shall  cease.  In  case  of  a  sale  of  the  estate, 
this#lease  is  null  and  void ;  and  the  amount  realized 
from  the  sale,  after  paying  the  cost  of  the  same  to  this 
corporation,  with  interest,  charges,  and  expenses,  shall 
be  paid  over  to  said  church,  which  amount  shall  be 
held  in  trust  by  the  deacons  of  said  church,  for  the 
purpose  of  building  a  new  place  of  worship,  or  to  be 
appropriated  to  some  other  religious  or  charitable  ob- 
ject by  said  church." 

The  obligations  of  the  denomination  to  those  breth- 
ren who  stepped  forward  and  by  their  individual  cred- 
it, as  well  as  by  their  contributions,  saved  the  enterprise 
from  irretrievable  ruin,  cannot  be  over-estimated.  At 
a  time  when  another  denomination  stood  ready,  money 


2l6  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

in  hand.  I  lake  it  the  cen- 

tre of  influence  and  the  source  of  power,  then 
were  found  mc  had  been  blessed  of 

prop.  :.  without  del;  o    _-  1   their   :; 

and   gave    their    influence    to    serve    a    denomination 

.-'.".rnished  them  with  a  spiritual  home.     The 

;mi.  vh;se  appeals   fir   am   m   Bistm   and  vicinity  re- 
floating debt  was  paid,  and  without  which  the  property 

could  not  have  been  secured. 

From  i  Sf  S  to  1S62  the  church  acted  independently 
cf  the  B::  m  ;  ;t-ieit:m  :f  the  p astir.  In  the 
mean  time  stories  prejudicial  to  the  standing  and  char- 

i  if  the  minister  were  circulated.  After  his  resig- 
:  a  it  was  felt  to  re  desirable  mat  an  understanding 

between  the  church  and  the  Board  of  Directors  should 
aereil  into.      Hence  in  1062  a  meeting  was  caileib 

and  a  committee,  of  which  Raw.  T.  X.  Murdoch  D.  D., 

:  E'  mneheal  Baptist  Benevolent  and  Missio: 

Tim  recommendation  was  accented  by  both  parties. 
and  is  now  the  rule. 

Tim-.  :  step,   God  led  the  church  and 

Board  to  adopt  a  has  secured  harmony 

and  erity  such  as  were  never  before 

witnessed.     At  a  glance,  all   discover  me  p 


DEACON    GILBERT'S    FIDELITY.  21 7 

of  a  magnificent  success.  Money  invested  in  this  cor- 
poration pays  great  dividends  for  the  cause  of  Christ. 
It  aids  in  keeping  open  a  large  and  attractive  place  in 
the  heart  of  Boston,  where  the  gospel  is  preached  to  an 
immense  multitude,  many  of  whom  would  not  find  a 
seat  in  any  other  place  of  worship,  while  it  must  ulti- 
mately provide  a  fund  of  several  thousand  dollars  an- 
nually for  missionary  purposes. 

Deacon  Gilbert,  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Direct- 
ors, watched  over  the  interests  of  the  Temple,  with 
unfaltering  zeal,  to  the  close  of  life. 

When  others  hesitated  he  held  on  in  his  course.  To 
him,  more  than  to  any  other  man,  we  owe  it  that  the 
Temple  was  not  sold  in  the  dark  days  succeeding  i860. 
Nor  did  he  labor  for  himself,  but  to  strengthen  evan- 
gelical religion,  and  through  it  reach  and  move  the 
world.  When  the  Temple  was  called  "  a  sponge,  which 
absorbs  easier  than  it  exudes ; "  when  a  city  pastor 
spoke  of  it  as  an  element  of  denominational  weakness  ; 
when  the  Board  grew  weary  —  though  Mr.  G.  had  been 
impoverished,  like  David  faint  yet  pursuing  and  relying 
upon  that  Being  whose  interpositions  had  saved  it  in 
the  past,  he  would  exclaim,  at  the  close  of  a  tiresome 
debate,  "  Brethren,  you  may  vote  as  you  choose  ;  the 
Temple  will  not  be  sold." 

His  heart  was  cheered  by  letters  from  various  quar- 
ters, of  which  this,  from  the  hand  of  Rev.  D.  C.  Eddy, 
D.  D.,  is  a  fair  specimen  :  — 

"  I  recognize  the  importance  of  the  field  of  useful- 
ness of  the  Temple.  The  right  man  could  do  more 
good  there  than  anywhere  upon  the  continent.  It  is  a 
useful  as  well  as  a  glorious  place  to  labor.  I  believe 
10 


2lS  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

a  minister  could  live  more  for  God,  in  one  year  at  the 
Temple,  than  in  a  regular  church  edifice  in  ten." 

The  congregations  were  a  source  of  perpetual  en- 
joyment to  him.  The  vast  multitudes  of  young  men 
were  the  subjects  of  his  constant  thought.  Hundreds 
were  spoken  to  by  him  who  never  forgot  his  words  of 
cordial  welcome.  He  did  not  rejoice  in  the  prosperity 
of  the  Temple  in  any  spirit  of  vain-glorying.  He  be- 
lieved that  if  the  Temple  were  emptied  and  its  congre- 
gations were  scattered,  if  the  inspiring  sights  that  have 
ever  been  witnessed  when  the  gospel  in  its  simplicity 
and  with  religious  fervor  has  been  proclaimed,  should 
become  a  tale  of  by-gone  days,  the  Baptist  congrega- 
tions in  the  city  would  see  no  sensible  difference  in 
their  own.  The  congregation  at  the  Temple  is  not 
drawn  from  others.  Yet  admit  that  other  congrega- 
tions do  feel  a  slight  draft  upon  them,  Mr.  Gilbert  felt 
that  the  fact  that  the  largest  Protestant  audience  in 
America  statedly  listened  to  the  truth  as  he  understood 
it,  was  a  matter  for  denominational  congratulation  and 
a  cause  for  exultation,  rather  than  an  occasion  for  de- 
nunciation and  jealous  opposition. 


219 


CHAPTER    XII. 

PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS. 

Deacon  Gilbert  was  a  man  to  be  remembered.  He 
wore  the  appearance  of  a  gentleman  of  the  olden  time. 
His  bald  forehead,  white  hair,  black,  glittering  eyes, 
white  neck-tie,  and  black  dress  gave  him  a  clerical 
appearance,  and  made  him  a  marked  feature  in  any 
public  assembly.  He  recognized  his  position,  and 
understood  the  importance  of  allowing  his  influence 
to  be  felt.  He  consecrated  his  time,  his  talents,  and 
his  property  to  the  service  of  Christ.  He  did  not,  like 
so  many  of  our  leading  business  men,  act  as  though 
his  time  was  too  precious  or  his  position  too  great  to 
make  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  attend  the  social  gath- 
erings of  the  church,  and  exert  his  influence  upon  the 
young.  He  was  a  power  in  the  church,  because  he 
lived  in  the  church,  and  identified  himself  with  its  ev- 
ery interest.  His  house,  his  table,  and  his  business  were 
made  subservient  to  the  weal  of  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Hence  ministers  and  evangelists  were  sure  of  a  wel- 
come at  his  fireside.  The  young  and  inexperienced 
were  sure  of  meeting  sympathy,  and  of  obtaining  good 
counsel,  in  his  counting-room. 

It  was  Friday  evening,  March  6,  1863,  when  the 
writer  came,  a  stranger,  to  No.  8  Beach  Street.  He 
had  been  invited  to  supply  the  desk  on  the  coming 


2  20  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Sabbath,  and  feeling  a  desire  to  ascertain  the  condition 
of  the  church,  by  attending  the  prayer  meeting,  he  had 
come  on  Friday. 

Mr.  Gilbert's  greeting  was  cordial,  his  look  was  kind, 
but  searching.  The  stranger  had  heard  through  pre- 
vious pastors  much  of  his  idiosyncrasies  of  character, 
and  was  prepared  to  see  in  the  lithe  and  slightly  bent 
form  of  the  builder  of  Tremont  Temple  a  man  distin- 
guished for  reserved  power,  and  for  a  look  that  is  ac- 
customed to  have  its  way.  At  once  the  measure  was 
taken.  It  was  not  to  Mr.  Gilbert  perfectly  satisfac- 
tory. He  was  in  doubt.  He  intimated  that  the  church 
needed  a  pastor.  As  he  was  not  in  the  presence  of  a 
candidate,  the  topic  was  changed.  At  tea  the  family 
evidenced  that  a  strange  face  was  not  a  strange  sight. 
The  habits  of  the  deacon  were  seen  to  be  peculiar. 
After  tea  the  Bible  was  brought  out.  He  read  and 
prayed.  That  prayer  revealed  his  heart.  He  longed 
for  the  prosperity  of  Zion,  and  asked  God  for  a  bless- 
ing to  attend  the  coming  of  the  preacher.  We  went 
to  the  house  of  prayer  in  company.  The  diary  says, 
"  Had  a  very  good  meeting  —  good  spirit."  Saturday 
was  passed  by  the  new  comer  among  his  friends.  In  the 
afternoon  it  began  snowing,  and  by  Sabbath  morning 
every  railroad  was  blocked,  cars  were  taken  off,  and 
sleighs  were  brought  into  requisition.  The  sight  af- 
fected and  depressed  the  heart  of  the  deacon.  The 
minister  smiled,  and  claimed  that  he  liked  a  stormy 
day,  as  it  revealed  the  grit  and  character  of  the  sol- 
diers of  the  cross.  The  Temple  was  nearly  empty. 
None  but  the  bravest  were  there.  The  paths  were 
not  broken.     Those  who  did  come  literally  pressed 


PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS.  221 

through  difficulties  to  the  house  of  God.  They  formed 
a  part  of  that  unconquered  company  who  had  with- 
stood the  trials,  and  overcome  the  difficulties,  that  at 
times  threatened  to  undermine  the  foundations  of  their 
permanence  and  prosperity.  The  services  did  the 
church  good.  Their  faces  showed  it.  The  prayer 
meeting  in  the  evening,  which  the  diary  pronounced 
u  exceedingly  interesting,"  evidenced  it.  The  letters 
that  followed,  inviting  the  preacher  to  become  pastor, 
all  referred  back  to  that  stormy  day  without,  and  to 
that  glorious  day  within,  the  Tremont  Temple. 

At  this  time  the  question  of  sale  was  still  agitating 
the  minds  of  the  denomination.  A  few  facts  will  throw 
light  upon  the  condition  of  affairs.  The  union  that  was 
a  felt  necessity  on  the  part  of  all  friends  did  not  exist 
between  the  church  and  the  Board.  The  church  was 
under  a  cloud.  They  were  poor,  but  they  respected 
themselves.  While  they  were  willing  to  ask  the  co- 
operation of  the  Board,  they  were  not  willing  to  con- 
sent to  the  dictation  of  the  Board.  They  claimed  the 
right  of  choosing  their  pastor,  and  were  only  willing  to 
refer  his  credentials  to  the  Board.  The  church  needed 
character.  It  needed  strong  men  who  were  known  and 
respected  abroad,  as  well  as  men  revered  and  respected 
at  home.  The  individual  who  was  repeatedly  invited 
to  become  their  pastor,  claimed  that  laymen  are  called, 
as  well  as  ministers,  to  walk  the  paths  of  trial  and  toil. 
In  other  words,  it  was  felt  that  this  church,  while  it 
throws  open  its  doors  to  the  poor  and  to  the  stranger, 
should  contain  within  its  membership  and  personal 
friends  ability  of  brains  and  of  pocket  sufficient  to 
sustain  and  manage  the  enterprise  ;  that  the  principle 
embodied  in  the  words  of  Christ,  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of 


22  2  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

the  earth,"  ought  not  to  be  ignored  ;  that  there  is  a 
humanity  in  Christianity  as  well  as  a  Christianity  *in 
humanity  :  that  brain  produces  brain  ;  that  financial 
strength  begets  financial  strength,  just  as  spiritual 
power  repeats  itself  in  spiritual  power.  Feeling  is 
well ;  but  without  reason  it  becomes  a  mountain  tor- 
rent, turbulent  and  noisy.  Talent  is  well ;  but  unless 
it  be  consecrated  to  Christ,  it  will  shed  a  brilliant  light 
abroad,  while  it  remains  quite  too  cold  at  home. 
Money  is  well ;  but  money  cannot  buy  God's  blessing, 
nor  secure  the  salvation  of  a  single  soul.  There  must 
be  a  union  of  piety,  of  talent,  and  of  financial  strength. 
Poverty  may  figure  well  in  the  flowing  numbers  of  the 
poet,  but  it  amounts  to  but  little  in  the  cash  accounts 
of  the  financier.  It  is  not  regarded  as  a  blessing  to  be 
coveted,  nor  as  a  fact  to  be  despised.  The  Tremont 
Temple  could  not  be  sustained  as  a  poor-house,  nor 
the  pastor  as  a  public  pauper.  This  view  of  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  met  with  a  hearty  response  in  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  some  of  the  leading  friends  of 
the  enterprise.  Attempts  were  made  to  secure  the 
services  of  the  pastor  alone.  It  was  in  vain.  As  a 
result,  the  Union  and  Tremont  Street  Baptist  Churches 
came  together,  and  formed  a  new  organization,  called 
the  Union  Temple  Baptist  Church.  The  dead  past  was 
buried.  A  bright  future  dawned  upon  the  enterprise. 
Fresh  life  was  infused  into  the  Sabbath  school,  into  the 
prayer  meeting,  and  the  congregation  felt  the  influence. 
Days  of  fasting  and  prayer  were  held.  The  church 
looked  to  God  for  a  blessing,  and  began  at  once  to 
labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  At  the  outset  it  was 
difficult  for  Deacon  Gilbert  to  get  used  to  the  new 
order  of  things.      The  thoughts  of  the  church  were 


PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS.  223 

turned  intQ  new  channels.  The  church  meeting,  which 
had  been  a  kind  of  a  debating  society,  was  done  away 
with. 

The  prudential  committee  attended  to  matters  of 
discipline,  and  introduced  to  the  church  those  who 
were  deemed  worthy  to  be  received.  The  executive 
committee  took  charge  of  the  finances,  and  at  once 
devised  a  system  of  raising  money  by  subscription, 
which  relieved  the  treasury,  and  provided  for  the 
wants  of  the  society.  To  say  that  Deacon  Gilbert  at 
once  heartily  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  new  regime 
would  be  untrue.  At  first  he  felt  called  upon  to  take 
the  direction  of  affairs  into  his  own  hands,  as  had  been 
his  custom.  The  pastor  objected.  There  were  three  in- 
stances. Mr.  G.  minuted  them  in  his  diary.  One  Mon- 
day morning  he  proposed  to  talk  the  matter  over.  The 
pastor  went  with  the  deacon  to  his  parlor.  They  spoke 
their  minds.  The  new  system  was  explained.  From 
that  time  to  the  hour  of  the  deacon's  release,  he  was  the 
kindest,  the  most  considerate,  of  brothers.  Henceforth 
there  was  no  collision.  The  pastor  respected  and  loved 
his  deacon.  The  deacon  respected  and  loved  his  pastor. 
They  enjoyed  each  other's  society  in  the  house  of  God 
and  elsewhere,  and  the  pastor  feels  that  he  can  adopt 
the  language  of  the  efficient  secretary  of  the  society, 
Solomon  Parsons,  Esq.,  who  in  a  note  says,  "I  bless 
God  in  permitting  me  in  so  humble  a  manner  the  honor 
of  sharing  the  labors  of  the  founder  or  originator  of 
this  great  enterprise,  and  that  I  was  able  in  some 
slight  degree,  after  entering  upon  the  duties  of  my 
office,  to  appreciate  his  labors  and  undertakings,  and 
to  aid  him  in  his  wishes  and  desires  for  the  continu- 


224  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

ance  and  perpetuation  of  this  noble  work  to  those  who 
shall  come  after  him." 

The  Christian  character  of  Deacon  Gilbert  rested 
upon  immovable  foundations,  and  shines  forth  in  these 
public  records.  To  learn  his  sacrifices,  his  toils,  and 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  the  eye  must  become 
familiar  with  his  private  memoranda,  and  the  ear  with 
the  unrecorded  acts  of  a  generous  life.  There  is  a  vast 
pile  of  manuscript  unreached.  Here  are  letters  to 
Charles  Sumner,  John  P.  Hale,  and  John  Quincy 
Adams,  to  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Andrew  Johnson, 
showing  that  he  felt  the  responsibilities  of  an  American 
citizen  and  a  Christian  philanthropist.  Again,  topics 
such  as  "  Consecration,"  "  Devotion,"  "  Humility," 
are  treated  at  considerable  length. 

Here  is  another  paper  in  which  he  enters  into  an 
argument  to  prove  that  the  Temple  was  as  strictly 
dedicated  to  the  worship  of  Almighty  God,  notwith- 
standing it  was  let  for  secular  purposes,  as  was  any 
pewed  church.  This  paper  is  without  a  date,  but  it 
is  not  difficult  to  understand  why  it  was  drawn  up. 
Some  one  has  been  decrying  the  enterprise,  because 
the  large  hall  of  the  Temple  is  rented  to,  and  used  by 
those  wrho  obtain  it,  for  secular  purposes.  The  dea- 
con, as  is  his  wont,  writes  out  his  argument,  and 
thenceforth  wields  it  with  force. 

Another  paper  explains  why  it  would  be  improper 
to  place  the  deed  of  the  Temple  in  the  hands  of  the 
church.  (It  was  the  original  design  to  do  this  when 
the  debts  were  paid.)  First,  because  the  title  from  a 
church  would  not  be  valid,  as  a  church  is  not  recog- 
nized as  a  legal  body  ;  second,  if  a  church  were  legal, 


PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS.  225 

moneyed  institutions  would  not  loan  them  money,  as 
it  would  be  injurious  to  their  reputation  to  dispossess 
a  church  of  a  house  in  order  to  get  their  dues. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Mr.  G.  gave  employment 
to  men  without  distinction  of  color.  The  boy  Thomas, 
to  whom  reference  was  made  in  the  slave  hunter's 
letter,  is  still  in  the  city  ;  and  James  Jones,  who  came  to 
the  North  in  the  hold  of  a  vessel,  where  he  was  packed 
away,  having  reached  Boston,  and  being  friendless  and 
nearly  famished,  was  brought  to  Timothy  Gilbert,  and 
remained  in  the  employ  of  his  friend  until  within  a 
year  of  the  death  of  the  latter,  and  found  pleasure  in 
attending  him  night  after  night  in  his  last  sickness. 
These  instances  simply  illustrate  a  life  of  rare  devo- 
tion in  ameliorating  the  woes  of  the  friendless  and  the 
poor.  The  history  of  his  friendship  and  friendly  acts 
to  the  colored  people  is  written  in  the  book  of  God's 
remembrance,  for  it  was  the  rule  of  his  life  not  to  let 
the  right  hand  know  what  the  left  hand  doeth.  For 
forty  years  he  occupied  that  elevated  position  to  which 
God  in  his  providence  led  the  nation,  where  Abraham 
Lincoln  died,  —  a  position  in  the  light  of  which  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  lost  its  glittering  general- 
ities,— where  patriotism,  love  to  God,  and  love  to  men 
made  black  men  so  white  he  could  not  see  their  black- 
ness, and  where  narrowness  and  treason  made  white 
men  so  black  he  could  not  see  their  whiteness,  —  a 
position  in  which  he  recognized  the  manhood  of 
American  citizenship. 

The  following  letter,  the  last  ever  written  by  his 
hand  for  the  press,  was  printed  in  the  "Watchman 
and  Reflector"  the  week  before  he  departed  for  the 
10* 


226  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

better  land.     It  is  the  utterance  of  the  friend  of  the 
slave,  as  he  stood  in  the  light  of  the  eternal  world. 

Constitutional  Rights. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence,  which  has  always 
been  recognized  as  the  foundation  of  our  constitutional 
government,  asserts  that  all  men  are  created  free  and 
equal,  and  are  by  their  Creator  entitled  to  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 

The  Constitution,  Article  I.  Section  2,  provides  that 
representatives  shall  be  apportioned  among  the  several 
states  according  to  the  whole  number  of  free  persons, 
and  three  fifths  of  all  other  persons  (Indians  not  taxed 
being  the  only  exceptions). 

If  there  are  no  slaves,  then  of  course  there  are  none 
to  which  the  three-fifths  rule  can  apply,  but  all  are  free 
persons.  The  only  classes  referred  to  in  the  Constitu- 
tion are  "  free "  and  "  all  others ; "  no  reference  is 
made  to  color.  The  free  people  are  the  only  people 
under  the  Constitution  recognized  as  the  people  to 
form  a  government.  The  language  of  the  Preamble 
is  as  follows : 

"We,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to 
form  a  more  perfect  union,  establish  justice,  insure 
domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common  defence, 
promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings 
of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  do  ordain  and 
establish  this  Constitution  for  the  United  States  of 
America." 

With  the  foregoing  constitutional  provisions,  unless 
something  can  be  proved  to  the  contrary,  can  any  part 
of  the  people  of  any  state  —  and  especially  the  truly 


MR.    GILBERT    ON    RECONSTRUCTION.  227 

loyal  part  —  be  excluded  from  participating  in  the  gov- 
ernment, under  the  Constitution,  without  violating  its 
provisions  ? 

By  an  act  of  Congress  under  the  census  of  i860,  the 
number  of  representatives  is  fixed  at  233,  viz.  —  from 
the  free  states  149,  and  from  the  slave  states  84  — 
based  upon  a  representative  population  of  29,806,801, 
three  fifths  only  of  the  slave  population  being  counted, 
which  gives  the  ratio  for  each  representative  126,845. 
But,  counting  the  whole  population,  31,209,742,  as 
free,  and  dividing  it  by  233,  the  number  of  representa- 
tives fixed  by  the  act  of  Congress,  will  give  the  ratio  to 
each  representative  133,947?  which  will  give  the  former 
free  states  only  141,  and  the  former  slave  states  92 
representatives,  and  the  same  number  of  electors  for 
president.  By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  free  states 
will  lose  eight,  and  the  slave  states  gain  eight  repre- 
sentatives, making  a  change  of  sixteen  votes  in  favor 
of  the  slave  states,  if  the  same  people  as  before  the 
rebellion  are  to  be  the  sole  electors,  and  to  have  the 
supreme  power. 

If  the  late  slave  population  is  excluded  from  the 
ballot  in  these  states,  and  the  freed  people  are  placed 
at  the  mercy  of  their  rebel  masters  whom  they  have 
helped  us  to  subdue,  does  not  every  feeling  of  our 
heart  cry  Out,  in  view  of  the  indignities  and  barbarities 
they  must  suffer  from  those  who  have  starved,  tortured, 
and  murdered  our  men  while  in  their  prisons  and  else- 
where ? 

The  injustice,  inequality,  and  unconstitutionality  of 
this  are  further  apparent  from  the  fact  that  twenty-nine 
of  these  ninety-two  representative  and  electoral  votes 


2  2S  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

(if  this  injustice  is  permitted)  will  be  derived  from 
counting  said  excluded  class ;  otherwise  they  would 
be  entitled  to  only  sixty-three  votes.  This  injustice 
and  inequality  are  still  further  seen  by  comparing  the 
population  and  the  representative  and  electoral  votes. 
The  free-state  population  is  two  and  twenty-eight  one 
hundredths  to  one  in  slave  states,  excluding  the  slave 
population ;  but  the  representative  and  electoral  votes 
will  be  only  one  and  fifty-three  one  hundredths  to  one 
in  slave  states. 

Thus,  while  we  have  been  flattering  ourselves  that 
the  rebels  are  conquered,  does  it  not  appear  to  be  the 
reverse,  if  we  surrender  to  them,  not  only  all  the 
political  power  they  ever  had,  but  reward  them  with 
this  increase  of  power,  without  the  least  correspond- 
ing gain  on  our  part?  Will  it  not  appear  that  they 
are  the  conquerors,  and  we  the  conquered  ?  —  they 
only  losing,  what  to  them  was  worse  than  useless,  the 
right  to  hold  property  in  slaves,  which  has  always 
been  an  incubus  upon  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
that  section  of  the  country,  and  gaining  this  increase 
of  political  power.  If  they  secure  from  the  free  states 
only  twenty-five  additional  votes,  it  would  give  them  a 
majority  in  the  House  of  Representatives ;  and  is  it 
unreasonable  to  suppose  that  number  may  be  secured, 
and  that  an  attempt  may  be  made  to  repudiate  some 
part  or  all  of  the  debt  created  in  bringing  them  into 
subjection  ? 

How  can  we  avoid  these  threatened  evils,  and  the 
danger  of  another  war,  but  by  securing  to  all  the 
people  their  constitutional  right  —  the  ballot? 

A  government  like  ours,  even  if  we  ignore  the  ques- 


MR.    GILBERT    ON   RECONSTRUCTION.  229 

tion  of  justice,  formed  to  establish  justice,  and  secure 
liberty,  in  order  to  be  strong  must  be  just  to  all  its 
loyal  subjects,  securing  to  all  equal  rights  and  privi- 
leges. This  is  included  in  securing  to  each  state  a 
republican  form  of  government.  It  was  because  slavery 
was  unjust  and  oppressive  that  it  was  an  element  of 
weakness.  It  was  the  injustice  of  their  claims,  more 
than  the  physical  or  financial  strength  of  the  parties 
in  the  late  civil  war,  that  decided  in  favor  of  the  vic- 
torious party. 

If  the  question  of  equal  rights  to  the  freedman  shall 
be  the  cause  of  another  civil  war  in  this  country,  who 
can  doubt  but  that  the  God-fearing,  sin-hating,  and 
liberty-loving  portion  of  our  people,  both  North  and 
South,  will,  by  their  prayers  and  efforts,  give  aid  and 
comfort  to  those  who  are  thus  deprived  of  their  just 
rights  ? 

God,  who  is  just,  will  defend  the  right,  as  in  our 
late  struggle ;  and  woe  to  him  that  is  found  resisting 
his  will. 

T.  G. 

Boston,  June,  1865. 

Again  he  takes  the  pen,  and  gives  utterance  to  his 
views  concerning  the  right  of  suffrage  for  the  black 
man,  and  publishes  them  in  the  "Christian  Era"  :  — 

I  have  been  exceedingly  gratified  and  hopeful  for 
the  future  of  our  country  in  the  almost  universal  utter- 
ances I  have  seen  in  the  press,  and  heard  from  the 
platform,  in  favor  of  the  freedmen  being  admitted  to 
all  the  rights  of  citizenship.  Nothing  short  of  this,  I 
think,  will  secure  to  our  government  the  favor  of  God, 


23O  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

and  through  his  favor  and  blessing  the  glorious  future 
I  see  in  store  for  this  nation. 

But  in  the  restoration  of  the  seceded  states  we  are 
in  danger  of  compromising  with  injustice  and  wrong. 
In  the  proclamation  just  issued  by  our  president  I 
think  there  is  cause  for  alarm.  He  empowers  William 
W.  Holden,  the  newly-appointed  provisional  governor 
of  North  Carolina,  as  soon  as  it  shall  seem  proper  to 
call  a  convention  of  the  loyal  people  of  that  state,  to 
reorganize  a  state  government,  with  an  altered  or 
amended  constitution,  in  order  that  said  state  may  be 
readmitted  into  the  Union.  He  then  prescribes  that 
an  elector,  in  order  to  be  entitled  to  vote  in  calling 
said  convention,  must  have  the  qualifications  prescribed 
by  the  constitution  and  laws  of  that  state  previous  to 
the  passage  of  the  (so  called)  ordinance  of  secession. 
This  of  course  excludes  all  the  freedmen.  It  further 
directs  or  provides  that  said  convention  so  called, 
or  the  legislature  that  may  thereafter  assemble,  shall, 
or  may,  prescribe  the  qualification  of  electors ;  which 
would  be  right  if  all  the  loyal  people  were  represented 
in  said  convention  ;  but  they  are  not.  This  will  leave 
the  destiny  and  control  of  the  state,  for  all  future  time, 
in  the  hands  of  the  same  class  who  have  heretofore 
controlled  its  political  status ;  only  excluding  those 
who  are  proved  to  have  been  in  open  rebellion,  and 
such  as  refuse  to  take  the  prescribed  oath  of  allegiance  ; 
entirely  excluding  the  freedmen,  who  have  been  the 
only  class  in  the  seceded  states  during  the  rebellion 
that  have  been  truly  loyal.  Such  injustice  cannot  fail 
to  provoke  a  just  God,  and  call  down  his  chastisements 
on  the  nation. 


SUFFRAGE   FOR   FREEDMEN.  23 1 

Under  such  circumstances,  and  with  such  a  govern- 
ment so  constituted,  freedom  can  be  but  little  more 
than  a  name.  If  the  seceded  states  are  to  be  restored, 
without  any  other  guarantee  for  the  security  of  the 
rights  of  the  freedmen,  then  have  the  immense  blood 
and  treasure  of  the  nation  been  expended  without  any 
adequate  good  being  accomplished.  But  I  cannot 
believe  that  God,  who  has  been  directing  in  all  this 
terrible  war,  and,  as  I  believe,  has  come  down  to 
deliver  these  oppressed  ones,  will  permit  the  sword 
to  be  sheathed,  and  this  nation  restored  to  a  lasting 
peace,  until  the  freedmen  are  fully  restored  to  all  the 
rights  of  citizenship,  and  our  nation  shall  stand  forth 
with  the  motto  taken  from  Holy  Writ,  and  contained 
in  our  Declaration  of  Independence,  inscribed  upon 
all  our  laws  and  enactments,  "  God  hath  made  of  one 
blood  all  the  nations  of  the  earth." 

I  think  this  whole  matter  should  be  left  open  until 
the  assembling  of  Congress  at  its  next  session,  and 
that  then  they  should  be  petitioned  to  pass  uniform 
laws  on  the  subject  of  naturalization  for  all  the  states, 
defining  by  a  uniform  rule  who  shall  be  entitled  to 
vote,  making  no  distinction  on  account  of  color.  Peti- 
tions to  this  effect  should  be  prepared  and  signed  by 
every  individual  throughout  the  entire  North,  and  also 
in  the  Southern  States,  so  far  as  the  inhabitants  shall 
desire  to  do  so,  and  forwarded  to  Congress  at  the 
opening  of  the  session. 

There  is  no  provision  in  the  Constitution  that  au- 
thorizes any  distinction  on  account  of  color  ;  and  as  the 
Constitution,  Article  IV.  Section  4,  makes  it  the  duty 
of  the  United  States  to  guarantee  to  every  state  a 


232  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

republican  form  of  government,  and  to  protect  them 
against  domestic  violence,  does  not  that  provision 
make  it  the  duty  of  the  government  to  require  of 
each  state  a  republican  constitution  and  laws? 

A  republic,  according  to  Webster,  is  a  state  in 
which  the  exercise  of  the  sovereign  power  is  lodged 
in  representatives  elected  by  the  people.  Can  they  be 
said  to  be  elected  by  the  people  if  only  half  or  two 
thirds  of  the  loyal  people  are  permitted  to  vote  ? 
Would  Massachusetts  be  a  republic,  if  all  its  laboring 
men  were  excluded  from  the  elective  franchise,  or  all 
its  mechanics,  or  all  not  having  a  liberal  education, 
or  any  other  class  or  standard  that  had  no  reference 
to  loyalty,  moral  character,  or  such  degraded  igno- 
rance and  imbecility  as  would  disqualify  them  for  exer- 
cising that  trust?  And  if  it  would  be  anti-republican 
in  Massachusetts,  is  it  not  anti-republican  in  North 
Carolina,  or  in  South  Carolina,  or  in  Georgia,  or  in 
any  other  state  ? 

While  slavery  existed,  and  the  slaves  were  the  goods 
and  chattels  of  the  people,  they  were  not  in  any  legal 
sense  recognized  as  a  part  of  the  nation,  only  for  the 
purpose  of  being  counted  to  increase  the  number  of 
representatives,  and  by  it  the  legislative  power  of  these 
states.  But  this  was  as  unjust  as  it  would  be  for  the 
free  states  to  count  their  oxen  and  horses  to  increase 
their  representatives.  But  under  that  arrangement 
only  three  fifths  were  to  be  counted. 

Now,  as  slavery  is  done  away  with,  those  who  were 
slaves  will  of  course  be  regarded  as  men ;  and  hence- 
forth not  three  fifths,  but  the  whole,  must  be  counted  ; 
thus  increasing  the  representation  in  that  proportion. 


MR.    GILBERT    ON   RECONSTRUCTION.  233 

By  the  last  census,  the  aggregate  population  of  the  ten 
states  who  seceded  was  four  million  seven  hundred 
and  forty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty-six 
free,  and  three  million  two  hundred  and  forty-three  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  thirty-two  slave  ;  but  taking 
only  three  fifths  of  the  slaves  and  adding  to  the  free, 
makes  their  representative  population  six  million  six 
hundred  and  ninety-three  thousand  five  hundred  and 
eighty-four.  Divided  by  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-five,  the  ratio  of  ap- 
portionment among  the  several  states,  taken  in  the 
aggregate,  it  will  give  those  ten  states  fifty-two  repre- 
sentatives ;  but  on  the  fractional  parts  they  were  al- 
lowed one  more,  which  make  fifty-three  representa- 
tives ;  then  counting  the  whole  number  of  freedmen, 
as  will  now  be  the  case,  instead  of  three  fifths,  they 
will  be  entitled  to  sixty-three  representatives  —  a  gain 
of  ten  ;  and  this  increased  power  is  all  to  be  intrusted 
to  those  who  have  been  fighting  us  for  four  years,  and 
have  been  doing  all  in  their  power  to  overthrow  our 
government,  with  shot  and  shell,  as  well  as  by  robbery 
and  arson,  by  murdering  and  starving  our  men  when 
in  their  hands,  and  by  every  species  of  barbarity  that 
could  be  invented  by  devils  incarnate.  It  is  not  the 
cause  of  the  freedmen  alone  that  I  plead,  but  that  of 
the  millions  who  are  to  participate  in  the  glory  or  deg- 
radation that  this  nation  will  reap,  in  the  fruit  that  will 
follow  their  action,  in  the  settlement  of  this  matter. 
Mr.  Sumner,  in  his  eulogy  on  our  late  president,  has 
shown  Mr.  Lincoln's  views  to  have  been  in  favor  of 
the  political  equality  of  the  races :  let  us  pray  that  his 
mantle  may  fall  upon  his  successor. 
June  2.  T.  Gilbert. 


234  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

Here  the  warrior  laid  aside  his  pen.  In  May,  1866, 
Charles  Sumner  and  Solomon  P.  Chase  wrote  as  fol- 
lows :  — - 

Senate  Chamber,  1st  May,  1866. 

Dear  Sir  :  It  will  not  be  in  my  power  to  take  any 
part  at  the  approaching  anniversary  of  the  Anti-Sla- 
very Society.     My  duty  will  keep  me  here. 

I  trust  that  the  society  which  has  done  so  much  for 
human  rights  will  persevere  until  these  rights  are  es- 
tablished throughout  the  country  on  the  impregnable 
foundation  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  This 
is  not  the  time  for  any  relaxation  of  the  old  energies. 
Slavery  is  abolished  only  in  name.  The  slave  oli- 
garchy still  lives,  and  insists  upon  ruling  its  former 
victims. 

Believing,  as  I  do,  that  the  national  government 
owes  protection  to  the  freedmen,  so  that  they  shall  not 
suffer  in  their  rights,  I  insist  that  it  has  plenary  power 
over  this  great  question,  and  that  it  may  do  anything 
needful  to  assure  these  rights.  In  this  conviction  I 
shall  not  hesitate  at  all  times  to  invoke  its  intervention, 
whether  to  establish  what  are  called  civil  rights  or 
that  pivotal  right  of  all  —  the  right  to  take  part  in  the 
government  which  they  support  by  taxation  and  by 
arms. 

Accept  my  best  wishes,  and  believe  me,  dear  sir, 
faithfully  yours, 

Charles  Sumner. 

The  President  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Society. 


JUDGE    CHASE    ON   NEGRO    SUFFRAGE.  235 

Letter  from  Judge  Chase. 

Washington,  May  1,  1866. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  cannot  attend  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  American  Anti-Slavery  Society,  on  the  8th,  except 
by  sincere  wishes  for  the  complete  accomplishment  of 
its  purpose  to  achieve  the  deliverance  of  our  country 
from  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  fact  of  slavery. 

Among  the  most  urgent  duties  of  the  hour,  I  count 
that  of  pressing  upon  the  intelligence  and  the  con- 
science of  our  countrymen  the  expediency  as  well  as 
the  obligation  of  unqualified  recognition  of  the  man- 
hood of  man. 

The  nation  has  liberated  four  millions  of  the  peo- 
ple from  slavery,  and  has  made  them  citizens  of  the 
republic. 

That  all  freedmen  are  entitled  to  suffrage,  on  equal 
terms,  is  an  axiom  of  free  government.  Neither  color 
nor  race  can  be  allowed,  without  injustice  and  dam- 
age, as  grounds  of  exception. 

If,  in  the  first  movement  towards  national  reconstruc- 
tion, this  truth  had  been  distinctly  recognized  by  an 
invitation  to  the  whole  loyal  people  of  every  state  in 
rebellion  to  take  part  in  the  work  of  state  reorganiza- 
tion, can  it  now  be  doubted  that  the  practical  relations 
of  every  state  with  the  Union  would  have  been  already 
reestablished,  and  with  the  happiest  consequences  ? 

Nothing  is  more  profitable  than  justice.  Does  not 
suffrage  promote  security,  content,  self-respect,  better- 
ment of  condition?  With  suffrage  will  there  not  be 
more  productive  labor  than  without?  Will  not  suf- 
frage insure  order,  education,  respect  for  law,  activity 
in  business,  and  substantial  progress  ? 


236  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

I  have  heard  the  difference  between  the  production 
of  the  lately  insurgent  states  with  universal  suffrage, 
and  the  production  of  the  same  states  without  it,  esti- 
mated at  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars  a  year.  At 
this  rate,  the  injustice  of  the  denial  of  suffrage  will 
cost  those  states,  will  cost  the  nation,  five  hundred 
millions  of  dollars  in  five  years  —  enough  to  pay 
nearly  one  fifth  of  the  national  debt. 

Is  it  too  much  to  expect  that  sensible  and  patriotic 
men  in  those  states  will,  before  long,  see  their  true 
interest  in  their  plain  duty,  and  join  hands  with  those 
who  seek,  not  their  injury  or  their  humiliation,  but 
their  welfare  and  their  honor,  in  equal  rights  for  all? 

However  these  things  may  be,  this,  at  least,  seems 
clear.  The  men  who  so  long  contended  for  justice  to 
the  enslaved,  and  now  contend  for  justice  to  the  eman- 
cipated, will  not,  cannot,  must  not  cease  their  efforts 
till  justice  prevails. 

Yours  truly, 

S.  P.  Chase. 

Wendell  Phillips,  Esq. 

Surely  whoever  reads  these  utterances  will  see  that 
the  foresight  of  the  Christian  was  quite  as  clear  as 
that  of  the  statesmen  who,  for  many  a  year,  have 
stood  upon  the  headlands  of  political  distinction. 

We  have  but  little  space  left  to  describe  Mr.  G.  as  a 
friend,  a  father,  and  a  brother  in  Christ.  As  a  friend 
he  was  not  demonstrative,  but  the  needle  was  not 
truer  to  the  pole  than  was  he  towards  those  he  loved. 

In  reading  his  diary  my  own  heart  has  been  touched 
by  his  expressions  of  love.     Well  do  I  remember  the 


PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS.  237 

grasp  of  the  hand  and  the  tear-dimmed  eye  as  he  would 
express  his  gratification  in  listening  to  some  sermon. 

In  his  friendship  he  was  remarkably  outspoken,  but 
was  more  apt  to  blame  than  to  praise.  There  are  those 
who  felt  unkindly  towards  him  because  of  his  plain  deal- 
ing. On  one  occasion  I  called  his  attention  to  the  fact, 
and  tried  to  show  that  no  sensitive  man  would  receive 
rebuke  for  mistakes  unless  words  of  good  cheer  were 
spoken  when  deserved.  Well  do  I  remember  the  effect 
produced.  He  wept,  and  when  we  bowed  in  prayer 
he  lifted  the  gate,  and  allowed  the  current  of  love  to 
flow  forth  unchecked  until  I  felt  swept  on  by  its  resist- 
less force.  Henceforth  his  life  seemed  changed  in  this 
regard,  and  praise  was  never  lacking  in  his  speech. 

He  was  the  friend  of  the  servants  of  Christ.  Evan- 
gelists found  a  home  beneath  his  roof.  He  sympa- 
thized in  their  labors,  and  kept  up  a  correspondence 
with  them  regarding  their  toils  and  victories. 

It  is  not  my  province  to  enter  obtrusively  within  the 
charmed  circle  of  home.  As  a  husband  he  was  in  his 
way  a  model.  His  house  was  his  retreat.  His  wife 
and  children  were  his  companions. 

He  lived  the  life  of  a  Christian  in  the  midst  of  his 
family.  The  morning  devotions,  in  which  he  was 
never  hurried,  and  the  evening  chapter  and  prayer, 
will  long  be  remembered  by  those  who  have  heard 
his  comprehensive  and  happily  expressed  petitions. 

Said  a  friend,  "  He  is  slow  in  speech,  but  eloquent 
and  fluent  in  prayer."  He  was  ardently  attached  to 
the  new  version  of  the  New  Testament,  and  read  it 
with  untiring  zest.  It  was  his  request  that  it  should 
be  honored  when  his  funeral  discourse  was  preached. 


23S  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

In  his  last  sickness  he  manifested  the  characteristics 
which  distinguished  his  life.  He  was  full  of  inven- 
tion, and  never  tired  in  constructing  a  bed  or  arranging 
a  chair,  so  that  he  might  find  rest.  There  was  no  rest 
for  the  weary  here.     There  was  rest  only  in  heaven. 

Of  him  Rev.  E.  C.  Mitchell  writes  in  language 
glowing  with  a  love  that  was  the  result  of  years  of 
intimate  intercourse.  It  is  but  just  to  say  that  had 
Deacon  Gilbert  been  Mr.  Mitchell's  own  father,  he 
could  not  have  watched  over  him  more  tenderly.  His 
letter  is  dated  Alton,  111.,  where,  as  professor  in  the 
Theological  Seminary,  he  has  found  a  sphere  of 
wide  usefulness. 

Shtjrtleff  College,  October  18,  1865. 

My  first  acquaintance  with  Deacon  Gilbert  was 
formed  in  the  autumn  of  1850,  the  first  year  of  my 
course  of  study  at  Newton.  I  had  been  elected  su- 
perintendent of  the  Milton  Sabbath  School  in  Blossom 
Street,  and  had  been  serving  in  that  capacity  for  a 
month  or  two,  coming  into  the  city  on  Saturdays. 
Having  learned  that  I  was  without  any  convenient 
stopping-place  in  the  city,  and  sometimes  spent  the 
Sabbath  at  a  hotel,  Deacon  Gilbert,  with  character- 
istic liberality,  sent  me  an  invitation  to  make  his 
house  my  home  during  my  connection  with  the  school. 
There  I  found  a  truly  Christian  home.  The  first 
thing  which  impressed  me  was  the  atmosphere  of  con- 
secration to  Christ  which  pervaded  the  household. 
Everything  he  had  was  daily  laid  upon  the  altar  of 
God. 

Though  doing  an  extensive  business,  and  enjoying  a 
large    income,    his    domestic    affairs  were    conducted 


PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS.  239 

upon  the  most  economical  scale.  The  diet  at  his  table 
was  always  simple  and  plain ;  but  to  this  any  ser- 
vant of  Christ  was  welcome,  and  a  great  multitude  of 
such  guests  have  been  entertained  there.  Missiona- 
ries, ministers,  agents  of  benevolent  organizations,  fu- 
gitives from  bondage,  aged,  infirm,  or  needy  ones,  of 
whatever  class  or  condition,  always  found  a  kindly 
shelter  and  a  free  table  at  No.  8  Beach  Street.  His 
family  and  servants  were  so  accustomed  to  this  state 
of  things  that  they  were  never  surprised  at  the  entrance 
of  strangers,  nor  waited  to  consult  him  before  making 
them  welcome.  That  such  unquestioning  hospitality 
would  sometimes  be  imposed  upon  by  unworthy  per- 
sons is  to  be  expected ;  but  he  could  not  on  that 
account  forego  the  privilege  of  exercising  his  steward- 
ship towards  the  Lord's  poor.  Whatever  their  mo- 
tives or  deserts,  none  could  remain  long  under  his  roof 
without  deriving  positive  benefit  from  the  visit.  Not 
only  was  his  example  and  the  whole  conduct  of  his 
household  instructive  and  impressive,  but  he  had  a 
quiet  way  of  probing  the  views,  and  motives,  and  pur- 
poses of  his  visitors,  and,  if  necessary,  of  earnestly  in- 
culcating the  true  principles  of  religion  and  humanity 
in  their  application  to  practical  life.  And  then  the 
family  worship  —  morning  and  evening,  never  omitted 
or  crowded  out  by  the  greatest  pressure  of  business, 
always  deliberate  and  prolonged  as  a  service  in  which 
he  loved  to  linger  —  was  so  emptying  of  self  and  so 
full  of  God,,  so  manifestly  near  the  throne  and  so  ten- 
derly warm  with  heartfelt  affection  for  Jesus,  that  none 
could  pass  through  it  without  some  melting  of  soul 
and  some  quickening  of  holy  impulses. 


24O  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  be  with  him  on  one  occasion 
which  applied  a  pretty  severe  test  to  the  strength  of  his 
faith.  I  refer  to  the  time  when  the  first  Tremont  Tem- 
ple building  was  burned.  This  building  was  to  him 
the  embodiment  of  a  great  idea,  the  permanent  estab- 
lishment of  a  free  gospel  in  the  city,  and  a  perpetually 
consecrated  income  for  benevolent  purposes.  For  nine 
years  he  had  watched  the  financial  progress  of  the  en- 
terprise, and  found  it  to  tally  with  his  original  calcula- 
tions, and  to  give  fair  promise  of  speedily  realizing 
his  most  sanguine  hopes.  Suddenly,  on  a  certain 
Thursday  evening,  immediately  after  the  Sabbath  on 
which  Mr.  Colver  preached  his  farewell  sermon,  and 
a  few  hours  after  an  audience  had  retired  from  listen- 
ing to  the  weekly  lecture  by  my  classmate,  Charles 
R.  Pattison,  of  Michigan,  Deacon  Gilbert  was  called 
from  his  bed  to  find  the  Temple  in  flames,  and  to  see 
it,  before  daylight,  converted  into  a  mass  of  ruins. 
The  family  altar  at  8  Beach  Street,  that  morning,  was 
a  most  interesting  and  instructive  place.  The  cheer- 
ful submission  to  what  for  the  moment  seemed  a 
completely  dark  and  inexplicable  event,  accepting  it 
as  God's  without  being  able  to  see  God  in  it,  and  yet 
the  assured  and  trustful  perception  by  faith  of  God's 
wisdom,  and  grace,  and  faithfulness,  manifested  the 
true  spirit  of  adoption.  The  day  had  hardly  passed 
before  the  aspect  of  things  was  changed ;  the  sun 
broke  through  the  cloud,  and  he  and  all  could  see 
that  God  had  greater  things  in  store  than  even  his 
far-reaching  sagacity  had  conceived. 

I  shall  ever  regard  it  as  a  special  favor  of  Provi- 
dence that  I  was  permitted  to  be  with  him  in  his  last 


PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS.  241 

hours,  and  to  witness  the  patience,  humility,  and  faith, 
which  formed  so  fitting  a  conclusion  to  a  preeminently 
earnest  Christian  life.  I  have  already  furnished  you 
with  my  notes  of  some  of  his  last  words,  taken  as  they 
fell  from  his  lips.  There  were  many  other  words  and 
incidents,  not  recorded,  whose  memory  will  dwell  with 
me  as  an  impulse  towards  the  foot  of  the  cross. 
Truly, 

"  The  chamber  where  the  good  man  meets  his  fate 
Is  privileged  beyond  the  common  walks  of  life, 
Quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven." 

It  was  an  especially  gratifying  circumstance  that 
he  should  have  lived  to  see  the  virtual  accomplish- 
ment of  two  prominent  objects,  to  which  the  labors 
and  prayers  of  his  life  were  devoted  more  than  to  any 
others  —  the  abolition  of  American  slavery  and  the 
success  of  the  Tremont  Temple  enterprise.  He  often 
alluded  to  this  with  thankfulness  during  his  illness, 
and  in  speaking  of  the  latter  object  never  failed  to 
couple  with  it  expressions  of  affectionate  confidence 
in  the  pastor  whom  God  had  made  an  instrument  of 
its  recent  progress.  I  think  you  may  congratulate 
yourself,  my  brother,  and  be  grateful  to  God  that  you 
have  sustained  such  a  relationship  to  such  a  man.  I 
trust  that  many  of  like  faith  and  devotion  to  Christ 
may  be  raised  up  to  assist  you  in  the  important  duties 
devolving  upon  you. 

Very  truly  yours  in  the  gospel, 

Edward  C.  Mitchell. 
11 


242  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

We  have  spoken  freely  of  what  Deacon  Gilbert  did 
not  understand.  It  may  be  well  to  state  that  none 
were  misunderstood  more  than  himself.  That  he  was 
not  appreciated,  all  will  admit.  When  he  died,  a 
mighty  moral  force  was  withdrawn  from  the  commu- 
nity, and  what  had  been  the  central  support  of  the 
Tremont  Temple  enterprise  fell  prostrate.  He  be- 
lieved in  the  mission  of  the  work  there  being  per- 
formed. He  saw  that  every  blow  there  struck  sent 
echoes  into  the  future.  Look  into  that  recruiting 
room.  Excited  men  listen.  An  excited  man  speaks. 
Men  write  down  their  names  on  paper.  It  is  not 
much.  The  act  was  performed  in  a  moment.  Fol- 
low it.  Those  signatures  made  soldiers  of  men.  They 
step  forth  from  their  homes  and  enter  the  camp.  Mul- 
tiply that  one  scene  by  thousands,  and  behold  the  re- 
sult on  the  Rappahannock,  on  the  James,  in  Georgia, 
among  the  mountains  of.  Tennessee,  wherever  our  sol- 
diers swarm,  and  fight,  and  die,  and  you  find,  follow- 
ing that  first  act,  the  deafening  roar  of  battle,  the 
clash  of  arms,  the  crumbling  of  Confederacies,  and 
the  breaking  up  of  rebellions. 

That  we  can  understand.  Go  to  the  prairies  of  the 
West,  to  the  gold  mines  of  California, —  you  cannot  go 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  influence  of  Tremont  Tem- 
ple, and  so,  necessarily,  beyond  the  influence  of  this 
single  man.  It  finds  its  lodgment  in  kindred  breasts, 
and  its  embodiment  in  churches  of  like  faith.  A  man 
with  powers  cultured  and  developed,  whose  boundless 
resources  of  love,  and  energy,  and  talent,  and  skill,  are 
consecrated  to  the  glory  of  Christ  and  the  good  of 
men,  is  a  noble  benefaction.     His  heart  is  the  home 


PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS.  243 

and  his  body  the  servant  of  God.  In  his  brain  ideas 
take  form,  which,  transplanted  among  men,  grow  up 
into  institutions,  laws,  policies,  and  governments. 
The  small  men,  of  whom  the  race  consists,  could  do 
little  or  nothing  without  the  great  men.  The  race 
would  make  no  progress  were  it  not  that  here  and 
there,  age  after  age,  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty, 
which  giveth  understanding,  concentrates  in  some  one 
man  the  intellectual  force  of  multitudes  of  men.  His 
free  force,  direct  out  of  God's  hand,  is  the  lightning 
which  kindles  into  a  flame  the  dried  fuel  lying  upon 
the  heart-altars  of  men,  and  only  waits  an  igniting 
spark  to  kindle  into  a  flame  which  shall  illumine  the 
dark  places  of  earth.  Nations  rise  or  fall  in  propor- 
tion as  they  have  or  lack  men  capable  of  building  them 
up  in  intelligence,  integrity,  and  justice,  and  of  leading 
them  forward  to  the  accomplishment  of  magnificent 
purposes.  Churches  are  liberal  or  the  opposite,  they 
are  devoted  or  the  opposite,  they  are  social  or  the 
opposite,  just  in  proportion  as  the  gifts  of  manhood 
have  been  bestowed  or  withheld. 

The  Christian  manhood  of  Deacon  Gilbert  was  the 
outgrowth  of  the  work  of  grace  in  his  heart.  As 
flowers  take  coloring  from  the  earth  in  which  their 
roots  are  imbedded,  so  was  his  Christian  life  tinged 
and  colored  by  the  qualities  of  his  manhood,  and  by 
the  influences  which  entered  into  the  composition  of 
his  character.  Christ  builds  on  men  as  well  as  builds 
in  men.  Hence  the  faults  and  virtues  of  a  man's  char- 
acter are  chargeable  to  temperament,  to  nature,  to  the 
opportunities  for  culture,  and  the  endowments  of  edu- 
cation possessed  by  him.    Christianity  has  been  likened 


244  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

to  a  seed  planted  in  the  heart.  The  strength  of  the 
root,  and  the  height  of  the  trunk,  and  the  thrift  of  the 
tree,  depend  upon  the  soil.  Rocky  soil  is  bad  —  clear 
rock  is  worse.  This  fact  saves  Christianity  from  the 
shame  and  disgrace  which  have  been  stamped  upon  it 
by  the  sordidness,  narrowness,  and  meanness  of  men. 
The  tree  was  dwarfed  and  the  fruit  was  poor  because 
of  the  character  of  the  soil  in  which  it  grew.  Chris- 
tianity changes  the  currents  of  man's  nature  as  to  di- 
rection, and  it  improves  his  quality.  This  fact  makes 
manhood,  which  is  broad,  deep-cultured,  strong,  and 
brave,  of  priceless  value.  It  exalts  in  our  estimation 
the  worth  of  education,  of  filling  the  mind  with  en- 
nobling thought,  and  the  heart  with  generous  purposes. 
So  soon  as  it  accepts  the  rule  of  Heaven,  and  yields 
to  Christ,  its  breadth,  and  depth,  and  strength  give 
force  and  power  to  its  new  life.  Had  Timothy  Gil- 
bert never  known  Christ,  his  brain  and  heart-power, 
his  industry  and  zeal,  would  have  made  him  famed. 
Having  known  Christ,  his  goodness  crowned  his  great- 
ness, and  made  him  the  honored  deacon,  the  generous 
Christian,  and  the  noble  man. 


245 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MR.  GILBERT'S  DEATH. NOTICES  OF  THE  DECEASED. 

HIS   FUNERAL. 

For  twenty  years  Deacon  Gilbert  had  been  a  great 
sufferer  from  a  chronic  disease  of  the  heart.  He  en- 
dured far  more  than  any  one  knew.  The  post-mortem 
examination  revealed  ossification  of  one  of  his  lungs, 
dropsy  in  the  chest  and  in  the  heart,  and  a  general 
decay  of  the  forces  of  life.  He  had  talked  little  about 
his  distressed  periods,  but  tried  to  live  so  that  his  grave 
should  be  to  him  as  welcome  as  his  bed.  All  remem- 
ber his  deathly-pale  face,  his  difficulty  in  breathing,  the 
look  of  agony  that  flitted  across  his  features,  and  the 
cheery  speech  that  broke  from  his  lips.  He  described 
his  pain  to  be  like  the  incision  of  a  knife  ;  yet  he  never 
complained,  and  seemed  to  make  it  his  aim  so  to  live 
that  at  all  times  he  could  adopt  the  language  of  Christ 
—  "  Not  my  will,  but  thine,  O  God,  be  done." 

He  was  with  us  the  last  time  on  the  25th  of  June, 
1865.  It  was  Sabbath  morning.  The  sermon,  he  was 
pleased  to  say,  comforted  his  heart.  The  text,  "  Let 
love  be  without  dissimulation,"  suggested  a  train  of 
thought  which  his  whole  life  had  illustrated. 

His  disease  —  dropsy  of  the  chest  —  caused  him  in- 
tense suffering,  and  made  him  very  anxious  for  his 
release.    He  had  the  care  of  Dr.  William  Wesselhoeft, 


246  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

a  most  skilful  physician  ;  but  from  the  first  there  was 
no  hope  of  recovery. 

On  Sabbath,  July  9,  his  feet  began  to  swell,  and 
symptoms  of  dissolution  appeared.  When  his  atten- 
tion was  called  to  them,  he  remarked,  u  There  cannot 
be  so  good  news  as  that  I  am  dying."  Then,  in  a 
moment,  he  added,  "  I  don't  know  how  long  I  shall 
suffer,  but  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  left  to  complain.  At 
times  I  fear  that  I  desire  to  escape  suffering  more  than 
to  glorify  Jesus." 

On  another  occasion  he  said,  "It  is  not  much  mat- 
ter about  me  ;  let  the  rest  of  you  apply  yourselves  to 
the  duties  of  life.  You  cannot  save  sinners,  but  you 
can  let  your  light  shine.  They  cannot  resist  the  power 
of  that  light." 

Then  his  thoughts  came  back  to  the  Temple  :  "  So 
far  as  I  have  had  any  thing  to  do  with  keeping  that 
place  open,  it  was  for  the  glory  of  Christ.  Don't  let 
any  one  call  it  mine.  Let  them  call  it  Christ's."  Then 
he  prayed,  "  O  Jesus,  if  it  be  thy  will,  dispose  the 
hearts  of  liberal  men  to  free  Tremont  Temple  from 
debt,  so  that  it  may  become  a  lasting  blessing  to  the 
destitute  and  the  lost.  The  young  members  do  not 
know  much  about  what  it  has  cost  to  rescue  it  from 
failure.  Ask  the  pastor  to  urge  upon  the  young  men 
to  prepare  to  meet  their  God.  This  is  a  very  com- 
mon expression,  but  in  the  light  of  eternity  it  has  ter- 
rible meaning." 

Duties  had  called  the  pastor  away.  He  did  not 
expect  to  see  his  beloved  deacon  again  in  the  flesh. 
But  being  telegraphed,  upon  learning  his  condition  he 
hastened  home.    After  the  reply  came,  stating  that  the 


DEATH-BED    SCENE.  247 

pastor  would  be  home  on  Wednesday  evening,  he 
asked  to  live.  At  six  the  pastor  came.  He  found 
his  senior  deacon  very  feeble,  and  almost  in  a  dying 
state.  It  was  a  joyous  greeting.  The  old  smile  was 
on  his  face.  The  flash  was  in  his  eye.  The  kiss  of 
welcome  was  given,  and  after  the  prayer  was  offered, 
taking  the  pastor's  hand  in  his,  he  said,  "  Now,  Lord, 
lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace."  But  a  week 
of  agony  remained. 

Patiently  and  meekly  he  bore  his  yoke  until  the  fol- 
lowing Sabbath.  He  longed  to  die  on  Saturda}r  night. 
He  was  disappointed.  They  thought  him  dying,  but 
he  lived.  Sabbath  morning  found  him  sitting  up  in 
his  large  chair  by  the  east  window,  with  a  seat  be- 
side him,  waiting  for  his  pastor.  Upon  his  arrival  the 
deacon  greeted  him  with  delight,  and  asked  to  be 
brought  en  rafport  with  the  sermon  and  the  line  of 
thought.  The  uses  of  affliction  were  the  theme.  He 
listened  to  the  statement  of  the  doctrine,  and  the  lesson 
drawn  therefrom,  joined  in  the  prayer  that  followed, 
and  was  content.  In  the  afternoon  he  felt  that  his 
wife  and  child  held  him  back  from  God ;  and  so  he 
asked  them  to  kneel  by  his  bedside,  "  to  let  go  of  him," 
and  "  pray  for  his  release."  The  same  request  was 
made  of  others.  Monday  his  sufferings  were  intense, 
yet  he  was  sublimely  patient.  Tuesday  the  doctor 
prescribed  opium.  He  waited  until  his  pastor  came 
and  prayed  ;  heard  him  with  an  unclouded  brain,  then 
took  the  opiate,  and,  in  an  unconscious  state,  lingered 
on  until  Wednesday  morning,  when  his  uncaged  spirit 
winged  its  way  homeward  to  God. 


248  MEMOIR   OF   TIMOTHY   GILBERT. 

The  scenes  of  that  sick  chamber  deserve  photo- 
graphing. They  show  how  grandly  a  Christian  may 
enter  upon  the  last  conflict,  and  go  forth  wreathed  in 
victor}'. 

On  one  occasion,  in  the  midst  of  intense  suffering, 
he  found  great  comfort  in  these  lines,  which  seemed 
to  give  expression  to  his  thought :  — 


THE  AGED  BELIEVER  AT  THE  GATE. 

I'm  kneeling  at  the  threshold,  weary,  faint,  and  sore, 
Waiting  for  the  dawning,  for  the  opening  of  the  door, 
Waiting  till  the  Master  shall  bid  me  riseltnd  come 
To  the  glory  of  his  presence,  to  the  gladness  of  his  home. 

A  weary  path  I've  travelled,  'mid  darkness,  storm,  and  strife, 
Bearing  many  a  burden,  struggling  for  my  life  ; 
But  now  the  morn  is  breaking  ;  my  toil  will  soon  be  o'er  ; 
I'm  kneeling  at  the  threshold ;  my  hand  is  on  the  door. 

Methinks  I  hear  the  voices  of  the  blessed  as  they  stand, 
Singing  in  the  sunshine  of  the  sinless  land  ; 
O,  would  that  I  were  with  them,  amid  their  shining  throng, 
Mingling  in  their  worship,  joining  in  their  song  ! 

The  friends  that  started  with  me  have  entered  long  ago  ; 
One  by  one  they  left  me  struggling  with  the  foe. 
Their  pilgrimage  was  shorter,  their  triumph  sooner  won ; 
How  lovingly  they'll  hail  me  when  my  toil  is  done  ! 

With  them  the  blessed  angels,  that  know  nor  grief  nor  sin ; 
I  see  them  by  the  portals,  prepared  to  let  me  in. 
O  Lord,  I  wait  thy  pleasure  ;  thy  time  and  way  are  best ; 
But  I'm  wasted,  worn,  and  weary  —  O  Father,  bid  me  rest ! 


HIS    DEATH.  249 

And  so  he  passed  from  the  toils  of  earth  to  the  rest 
of  heaven  —  his  life-work  done,  and  well  done.  He 
was  fitted  of  God  to  bear  the  yoke  placed  upon  him. 
A  different  kind  of  man  would  have  given  his  best 
thoughts  to  his  business.     He  gave  them  to  God. 

Through  evil  as  well  as  through  good  report,  Tim- 
othy Gilbert  adhered  to  his  purpose  to  establish  in  the 
heart  of  the  city  of  Boston  a  "  free  place  of  public 
worship."  That  work  accomplished  after  the  toil  of 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  died  content. 

The  city  has  lost  a  benefactor,  a  patriot,  and  a  states- 
man. His  eye  pierced  the  vistas  of  the  future ;  his 
earnest  words  warned  of  danger ;  his  purse  opened 
to  every  call  for  aid,  and  his  pen  was  wielded  in  de- 
fence of  those  principles,  which,  after  years  of  strife, 
have  become  prized  above  rubies,  and  promise  to  re- 
deem a  continent  from  the  thraldom  of  slavery. 

Upon  whom  shall  his  mantle  fall  ?  His  history  has 
little  of  romance,  and  less  of  feats  that  excite  wonder. 
It  is  distinguished  by  the  steady  tramp  of  the  true  sol- 
dier, who,  from  the  hour  of  his  enlistment  to  the  hour 
of  his  release,  kept  step  to  the  music  of  love,  led  by 
the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  who  on  earth  made  it 
his  meat  and  his  drink  to  do  the  will  of  our  Father 
who  is  in  heaven. 

That  he  was  missed,  we  have  only  to  turn  to  the 
notices  of  the  press,  and  the  resolutions  of  different 
societies  in  which  he  had  held  a  conspicuous  place,  to 
find  abundant  evidence. 

The  Board  of  the  Evangelical  Baptist  Benevolent 
and  Missionary  Society  at  once  took  action,  and  pro- 
11  * 


25O  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

posed  to  bury  him  at  the  expense  of  the  corporation, 
which  had  been  largely  fostered  bv  his  hand.  The 
resolutions  offered  and  passed  embodied  the  leading 
traits  of  his  character,  and  are  as  follow:  — 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Evangelical  Bap- 
tist Benevolent  and  Missionary  Society,  convened  at  Social  Hall, 
Tremont  Temple,  July  20,  1865,  the  following  resolutions  were 
adopted  in  reference  to  the  death  of  the  late  Deacon  Timothy 
Gilbert. 

IVhej-eas,  God,  in  his  all-wise  providence,  has  called  our  late 
associate,  Deacon  Timothy  Gilbert,  from  the  activities  of  earth  to 
the  enjoyments  of  heaven,  it  seems  proper  that  this  Board  should 
place  on  record  some  suitable  memorial  of  his  character  and 
worth. 

Deacon  Gilbert  has  been  honorably  identified,  for  more  than 
forty  years,  with  the  interests  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  this 
city.  During  this  long  period  he  has  been  actively  identified  with 
the  leading  public  enterprises  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of 
Christ.  He  was  one  of  the  few  Christian  men  who  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  Xewton  Theological  Institution  in  sacrifice  and  prayer. 
He  was  also  an  early  patron  of  the  cause  of  missions  to  the  hea- 
then, and  many  of  our  missionaries,  both  among  the  living  and 
the  dead,  have  shared  his  benefactions  and  hospitalities.  He  was 
emphatically  a  lover  of  good  men,  and  engaged  in  all  good  works. 

It  was  while  engaged  in  efforts  for  the  religious  instruction  of 
the  adult  youth  and  strangers  thronging  the  city,  that'he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  establishing  the  Tremont  Temple  enterprise  as 
a  free  place  of  worship.  His  labors  and  sacrifices  in  connection 
with  this  enterprise  are  so  well  known  that  no  detailed  account 
of  them  in  this  connection  is  necessary.  His  unwearied  efforts, 
his  steady  courage,  and  his  large  pecuniary  offerings  in  this  behalf, 
entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  the  friends  of  Christ,  and  the  suc- 
cess of  his  work  there  constitutes  his  best  and  most  enduring 
monument.     His  labors  are  ended,  and  he  has  entered  into  his 


HIS    FUNERAL.  25 1 

rest.  Impressed  with  a  sense  of  our  great  personal  loss  in  the 
removal  of  our  venerable  friend  and  brother  from  our  earthly 
counsel,  we  hereby  tender  to  his  afflicted  family  our  sincere  con- 
dolence in  this  hour  of  their  deep  domestic  sorrow. 

J.  W.  Converse,  Cyrus  Carpenter, 

J.  W.  Merrill,  Frederick  Gould, 

G.  W.  Chipman,  Solomon  Parsons,  Secretary, 

G.  C.  Goodwin,  Joseph  Sawyer, 

J.  H.  Converse,  Chas.  S.  Kendall, 

Joseph  Story,  G.  W.  Little, 

L.  B.  Marsh,  Jesse  Tirrell. 

His  funeral  was  attended  in  the  Temple  by  a  large 
concourse  of  citizens,  conspicuous  among  whom  were 
the  piano-forte  manufacturers,  who  assembled  in  a 
body,  and  escorted  his  remains  beyond  the  city  limits. 
The  clergy  of  the  Baptist  denomination  were  present, 
with  the  exception  of  his  former  pastor  and  much 
beloved  friend,  Rev.  Rollin  H.  Neale,  D.  D.,  who  was 
absent  from  the  city.  The  prayers  of  Drs.  Stow  and 
Eddy  in  the  Temple  were  brim  full  of  appreciative 
sympathy,  and  breathed  a  spirit  of  thankfulness  to 
God  for  the  gift  of  such  a  life  to  the  church  and  to  the 
world. 

Dr.  Hague,  for  many  years  his  friend,  spoke  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"  The  cause  of  Christ  and  truth,  of  freedom  and 
humanity,  suffers  a  loss  by  the  death  of  Timothy  Gil- 
bert, a  man  of  sterling  excellence,  a  true  Christian 
philanthropist.  The  Temple  is  his  monument.  Ev- 
ery stone  and  rafter  are  vocal  with  his  memory.  To 
buy  Tremont  Theatre  and  convert  it  into  a  church 


2^2  MEMOIR    OF    TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

edifice  for  the  free  preaching  of  the  gospel,  as  he  did, 
a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  was  one  of  the  bravest 
acts  which  signalize  the  history  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence in  Boston.  His  whole  life-course,  for  half  a 
century,  w^as  in  keeping  with  that  movement.  He 
regarded  the  measure  as  a  want  of  the  times,  and  he 
staked  his  fortune  upon  its  success.  He  made  money 
in  order  to  use  it  for  his  Master.  Amid  the  agita- 
tions of  the  country,  in  the  fluctuations  of  business, 
he  has  lost  much,  no  doubt ;  but  he  has  saved  much, 
which  is  well  invested  in  an  enterprise,  the  fruits  of 
which  are  '  heavenly  treasures,'  to  be  garnered  year 
by  year.  He  lived  and  died  the  friend  of  the  op- 
pressed, the  champion  of  the  right.  It  was  a  mem- 
orable day,  when,  in  the  heat  of  the  contest  about  the 
fugitive  slave  law,  he  advertised  in  the  public  jour- 
nals that  any  needy  fugitive  might  find  a  home  at  his 
house,  No.  8  Beach  Street !  Theodore  Parker  made 
a  call  there  forthwith,  to  see  the  man  and  the  place, 
and  to  express  his  surprise  that  there  was  such  a  house 
in  Boston.  The  act  was  heroic  ;  but  it  was  like  him. 
Brave  old  soldier  of  the  cross  !  He  has  fought  a  good 
fight,  he  has  kept  the  faith,  and  has  gone  to  receive 
the  crown  of  righteousness  which  the  Lord  will  give 
to  all  that  love  him,  and  the  least  of  the  little  ones 
that  believe  in  him,  faithful  even  unto  death." 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.  D.,  had  been  expected, 
but  was  delayed  by  the  train  ;  and  so  the  pastor  fol- 
lowed in  a  brief  delineation  of  the  deacon's  character, 
and  reserved  for  the  following  Sabbath  a  more  complete 
view  of  that  finished  life.     In  the  coffin  lying  beneath 


HIS    FUNERAL.  253 

the  high  roof  of  the  Temple,  Timothy  Gilbert  looked 
the  man.  A  smile  lingered  upon  his  features,  and  the 
glory  of  a  Christian's  hope  seemed  to  shed  the  halo 
of  its  light  upon  that  scene  of  death.  Turning  from 
the  coffin  to  the  crowd,  the  pastor  said,  — 

"  The  inquiry  presses  itself  upon  my  heart  as  I  turn 
from  the  contemplation  of  this  heroic  life  —  Is  there 
no  young  man  here,  who,  influenced  by  a  similar  pur- 
pose to  glorify  God,  shall  take  the  place  left  vacant  by 
a  Cobb,  a  SafFord,  and  a  Gilbert,  and  whose  life  of 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  Christ's  cause  shall  result 
in  the  planting  of  churches,  in  strengthening  the  hands 
of  the  ministry,  in  aiding  forward  revivals,  in  pushing 
on  the  car  of  salvation  to  the  rescue  of  thousands 
from  a  life  of  shame  here,  and  a  life  of  misery  here- 
after ? 

"  If  so,  welcome  to  such  a  field  as  their  feet  never 
trod,  to  such  visions  as  their  eyes  never  beheld.  The 
world  waits  in  its  agony  for  the  aggressive  march  of 
aggressive  Christians. 

«  Will  ye  play,  then,  will  ye  dally 
With  your  music  and  your  wine  ? 
Up  !  it  is  Jehovah's  rally  ; 

God's  own  arm  hath  need  of  thine. 

1  On  !  let  all  the  soul  within  you, 
For  the  truth's  sake,  go  abroad ; 
Strike  !  let  every  nerve  and  sinew 
Tell  for  ages  —  tell  for  God.'  " 

At  his  burial  a  most  impressive  scene  was  wit- 
nessed. The  concourse  of  citizens  and  friends  was 
large.    Deacon  Gilbert  was  buried  beside  his  first  wife 


254  MEMOIR    OF   TIMOTHY    GILBERT. 

in  Mount  Auburn,  in  a  tomb  which  he  had  prepared. 
The  sun  was  setting  as  we  stood  beside  the  open 
grave.  We  sung  his  favorite  hymn,  "  Rock  of  ages, 
cleft  for  me,"  and  then  laid  aside  the  sacred  dust. 
The  prayer,  offered  by  Rev.  O.  T.  Walker,  will  never 
be  forgotten.  It  brought  tears  to  every  eye  as  it  por- 
trayed our  loss,  and  thrilled  every  heart  with  joy  as  it 
described  the  Christian's  gain.  We  saw  him  at  rest 
with  Jesus,  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  throne,  sur- 
rounded by  the  early  loved,  and  close  to  the  heart  of 
his  loving  Master,  who  had  loved  him  first  and  loved 
him  last,  on  whose  strong  arm  the  beloved  disciple 
had  leaned  in  his  weakness,  and  in  whose  strength 
and  grace  he  rested  his  every  hope.  As  we  turned 
from  the  sleeping  form,  and  listened  to  the  falling 
earth,  wrhich  told  us  that  his  decaying  remains  were 
being  committed  to  their  kindred  element,  —  earth  to 
earth,  dust  to  dust,  —  we  thought  of  the  general  resur- 
rection, through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  at  whose  com- 
ing, to  judge  the  world,  the  earth  and  sea  shall  give 
up  their  dead ;  when  the  corruptible  bodies  of  those 
who  sleep  in  him  shall  be  made  like  unto  his  glorious 
body,  according  to  the  mighty  working  whereby  he 
is  able  to  subdue  all  things  unto  himself.  And  as  we 
looked  upon  the  bent  form  of  a  mourning  wife,  and 
the  tear-dimmed  eyes  of  weeping  friends,  we  derived 
comfort  from  those  words  of  Hiller,  which  found  their 
w^ay  to  our  hearts  and  gave  expression  to  our  thoughts 
as  we  went  homeward  :  — 

"  We  wait  for  thee,  all-glorious  One  ! 
"We  look  for  thine  appearing ; 


THE    CLOSING   SCENE.  255 

We  hear  thy  name,  and  on  the  throne 
We  see  thy  presence  cheering. 

Faith  even  now 

Uplifts  its  brow, 
And  sees  the  Lord  descending, 
And  with  him  bliss  unending. 

"  We  wait  for  thee,  through  days  forlorn, 
In  patient  self-denial ; 
We  know  that  thou  our  guilt  hast  borne 
Upon  the  cross  of  trial. 
And  well  may  we 
-Submit  with  thee 
To  bear  the  cross  and  love  it, 
Until  thy  hand  remove  it. 

"'We  wait  for  thee  with  certain  hope  ; 
The  time  will  soon  be  over ; 
With  child-like  longing  we  look  up, 
Thy  glory  to  discover. 
O,  bliss  to  share 
Thy  triumph  there, 
When  home  with  joy  and  singing, 
The  Lord  his  saints  is  bringing  !  " 


>  -'•**" 


LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS 


0  017  648  883  9 


m 

mam* 

fflfiflHHBMMH 


•Hi 

••••• 

BHJBiBmMShHHM 


m 


mil 


'.»« 


■